A Chance Encounter
by Kapra90
Summary: Set post-film. Turbo plans to exact his revenge by materializing into the real world to reprogram his game. But when Turbo meets a human named Kara, he begins to see that not everything is as simple as it seems. Rated T for some cursing and hints of serious issues.
1. A Chance Encounter

**Hello! This is my first fanfic I'm publishing here... ever. So I'm pretty nervous! Please enjoy, if you can. ^^;**

* * *

I sang as I wandered through the trees and the ruins. It was a cold afternoon and even as the freezing air nipped at my cheeks, I still enjoyed the haunting silence. Little did I know I was being watched. It was in this moment scripted by fate, that by some miracle I would be chosen, I was the one, that would be the first encounter of the grey faced racer that suddenly made himself known to me when he sneezed.

I froze in place, slowly turning around. The racer took a step forward, wearing an expression that was something between annoyance and caution.

"Hey." Was his first word to me.

Now... normally I would have done SOMETHING. Run. Scream. Throw one of the many random objects lying about the psych center grounds at his head and THEN run... but my eyes were in awe of what they registered.

It was Turbo... as if he had just stepped out of my television. He was exactly as he appeared in the film. Was this some kind of trick? Was I being possessed by a spirit within the psych center ruins? Had I died?

"You're..." I finally brought myself to speak. "T- Turbo...?" My voice cracked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm amazing. Now. Before you get yourself in a frenzy, I need someone on this plane to help me with something."

"A- Anything." The word slipped out.

Turbo blinked, then smiled a bit. "Wise of you to cooperate. So... I am trying to find a new home. I need somewhere to stay. You see... I lost my home when my game was unplugged. I tried to take another one over but some meddling kids and their overgrown ape foiled my plans. So... I discovered a way to materialize into the 'player's plane.' Much to the displeasure of everyone in the game world."

"I see..."

"Huh? Talk louder, it's harder to hear with the helmet ya' know."

"Sorry. Um..." I look around. "Here. Come with me."

"Do you live here? This place is a dump. And it gives me the creeps."

"No. This is the old psych center in my town. I like to walk around here sometimes." I motion for him to follow me and he does. I can't help but smile to myself and I panic when a small squeak comes from my lips. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice.

"Psych center? What is that?"

"It's... where people who have severe mental problems go to live."

"Uhh... okay? So do you have severe mental problems?"

"No!" I furrow my brow.

Turbo raised a brow. "Well, you must if you hang around here so much."

I sigh. "I come to get some fresh air. To get away from all the daily toils of life. Time just seems to linger here."

"Deep." Turbo replied. "Don't you players dwell in groups?"

"Well I have a family, if that's what you mean."

"I mean, like... buddies or something."

"Friends...? I... don't have any."

Turbo again raised a brow. "Why? Something IS wrong with you."

I stopped, giving him a hurt look. He laughed.

"Well, you make it easy for me then. I don't want to deal with too many people at once."

We finally reached my car. I unlock it and throw my pocketbook into the back.

"THIS is what you drive?!"

"Hey. This was my grandpa's car. No dissing."

"Yeesh. Was this his first one?" Turbo rolled his eyes as he got in.

I sighed. Maybe this wasn't as awesome as I thought.

"You know Turbo... we may have a lot more in common than you think."

He scoffed and smirked. "Think again blondie. I was popular, once. You seem to be just a waste of code from the start."

My hands just sat on the steering wheel. Turbo groaned impatiently.

"You gonna start 'er up or what...?"

"... I almost wasn't born, you know." I started up the car. "I thought you'd be a bit more understanding of someone like me. But I guess not."

Turbo raised a brow. "Someone like you? And what might someone like you be, exactly?"

I looked at him. "Outcasted. Misunderstood. Much like yourself."

I put my foot on the gas pedal and drove down the road. The racer next to me sat in silence.

This was our first encounter.

* * *

When we reached my house, I sighed. "Okay. Here we are. It's a bit messy because I just recently bought the place."

"You buy a whole house but not a car?"

I rub my temples. "Just get inside. It's cold out."

"I can handle it, blondie." He said as his teeth chattered.

I smirked and he grumbled. Once inside, his eyes widened. "Is that a poster of me?"

"Uh huh, mister grumpy pants. I happen to be a big fan of you."

"Huh. Shouldn't you have a shrine of me or something?"

I chuckled, putting the teapot on. "Just settle down and make yourself at home."

Turbo flopped onto the couch, kicking his legs a bit. "It's too quiet in here. How do you not lose it?"

"Well, you can turn on the TV or the radio."

Turbo shrugged, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels. Meanwhile, I finished making hot chocolate for the two of us, squirting some whipped cream on top. I brought them in, and Turbo's nose followed the sweet smell.

"Is that hot chocolate?! Chocolate is my favorite! Gimme!"

"Okay okay, jeez." I laughed as I handed him a glass. "Don't spill it or it's game over."

"Pfft, like I'd waste a drop of this."

I smiled softly. It was nice to have some company... even if it was a borderline sadistic video game villain.

"So... are you going to stay in the real world?"

"I do not plan on going back to the arcade, if that's what you're asking. Better get used to having a room mate, girly."

"Well... you're gonna have to stay on the couch until I can get the spare room set up."

"This is how you treat a champion?! By putting him on the couch?! I want a bed to sleep in!"

"Well, there's only one available and that one is mine."

"Ugh, this is not gonna work, blondie."

"You could sleep on the back porch in the rain and snow..."

Turbo shot a death glare at me. "Oh ha, ha!" He grumbled. "Fine. I will sleep here ONE night. After that, you better get used to sleeping on the floor."

"Yeah. Okay." I rolled my eyes as I placed our cups in the sink.

"By the way..." Turbo said a bit softer. "I never got your name."

Oh, what an idiot I was!

"It's Kara." I smiled a bit.

"Huh. Okay. I guess it's better than 'blondie' or 'girly.'"

That night, I settled into bed, sighing contently. This was going to be an interesting... length of time that Turbo stayed in my house. I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Turbo groaned and rubbed his eyes a few hours later. "What the...?" He was not happy in the least. Being awoken from his beauty sleep? That was unacceptable. He stormed to where I was sleeping, bursting in. "What do you think you're doing at this hour-"

He stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he was dreaming when he saw me, to put simply, experiencing a very horrible nightmare. But this isn't what chilled Turbo to the core. Now Turbo was indeed borderline sadistic, but when he saw how I was literally writhing as if I was in deep agony, he backed away when I turned, my face moving from my pillow so my screams were no longer muffled.

"Will you pipe down?!" He shouted, going over to shake me. My hands waved about and he grabbed them to avoid getting hit. "Hey- will you- hey, wake up!"

I continued to scream incoherent sentences, until I seemed to freeze.

"No... Turbo... not you..."

"What? Will you stop this nonsense-"

Turbo jumped when I began to choke. Literally choke. He had never seen anything like this in his life. He seemed to forget everything in that moment, shaking me as hard as he could.

"Wake up, Kara! Wake up!"

I finally sat straight up, gasping for air as my eyes flew open. I looked around frantically, scrambling backwards. When I saw Turbo, who was unsure what to do at this point, I began to cry, slowly moving to cling to him. Turbo was in a state of shock.

What was this feeling he had? Was it pity? Sympathy? He was Turbo... he could not feel these things... or could he?

* * *

The following morning, Turbo rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He noticed he was still in my room, but I wasn't there. He looked around, stretching his arms as he hopped off the bed. He went into the kitchen to see me making breakfast for us; pancakes.

"Morning." He said.

I turned around, sighing a bit. "I'm sorry about last night. I'm a lucid dreamer. It means that my nightmares seem very real."

"... what were you dreaming of anyway... me losing a race?" He smirked.

I looked at my feet before going back to making pancakes. I didn't answer him.

As we ate our pancakes, Turbo tilted his head. "What are those things?" He pointed at my supplements.

"Those are vitamins. They help keep me healthy."

"Like... powerups...?"

"Kind of."

"Why do you have so many?"

I sighed a bit. "Turbo... in my world, people can get hurt, or sick, and they don't instantly get hp and life back. When someone dies in my world... that's it. When someone is hurt... it leaves a scar."

"What?" Turbo furrowed his brow.

I nod. "You only get one life here, Turbo."

Turbo looked down, still processing this information as I placed our dishes in the sink.

"I think we should do something." I said.

* * *

"... THIS is what you do for fun?!" Turbo gasped for air.

"Oh come on, Turbo! We've barely been on the trail for a minute!"

"This is too much work. I need my racecar."

"You need EXCERSIZE. Jeez, I thought I was out of shape! We're only walking after all."

"I never agreed to..." Turbo climbed over a log. "... hiking on a trail!"

"Well there's no movies out right now and it's a nice day." I sighed. He looked pretty pathetic in that moment. "If I give you a piggy ride for a bit, you have to walk. Okay?"

"What the heck is a piggy back ride?"

I rolled my eyes, crouching down. "You get on my back and hold onto me WITHOUT choking me, and tuck your legs under my arms."

Turbo shrugged, doing as instructed. Suprisingly, he was lighter than I expected. I slowly rose to my feet, and we headed down the path into the woods. I smiled a bit as I listened to the tranquil sounds of the forest; the birds, the trees creaking. It was nicer in the winter without the insects. Turbo stayed silent for a while until I heard him sigh a bit.

"Ya know... I kinda like piggy back rides." He said.

I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah... they're pretty cool."

"You have a lot of them before, then?"

My smile saddened. "I may have given more than I took. I tend to carry myself most of the time."

"Man, what is with you? You sound so... lonely. I mean, you do all this... stuff..."

"It isn't my choice to be lonely. This is just what fate had in the cards for me. But I'm not alone now." I smile.

"Yeah... fate and I haven't gotten along much lately. I had it all... fame... glory... popularity... all the girls swooned just from hearing my name... then it all vanished in one day. No matter what I did I couldn't get it back."

We lost track of time, and the coming night started to melt away the sun.

"We should head back."

As we headed back, a few delinquents were spray painting some rocks. I made a face, heading on.

"Hey, who are you making a face at? Take your little sick kid back to the ER!" One guy shouted.

"Hey! Who are ya calling sick, ya punk?!" Turbo growled.

"Oh man, it's a midget!" The guy laughed. I gently placed Turbo down and went up to the young man.

"Leave him alone."

"Ooo, so scared! Are you gonna throw your ugly little boyfriend at me?!"

"I said leave him alone!" I screamed.

"Get out of my face, you bitch!" The guy shouted as he shoved me. I fell on my behind.

Suddenly, Turbo snapped.

"HEY!" Turbo picked up a rock and threw it at the guy. "She is NOT a glitch! She is a perfectly normal program, punk!"

"Ah! He hit my eye man! Let's get out of here...!" He and his buddies ran off, and Turbo smirked.

"Yeah, run away, losers!" Turbo smirked. He turned back to me, as I stood up.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Yeah yeah, I'm awesome. But... no one has ever defended me before..." He cleared his throat suddenly. "... n- not that I've ever needed defending! I can fight my own battles, blondie!"

I smiled. "I have no doubt that you can." I held out my arm.

"Huh?"

I chuckled. "Link arms, silly. Like this." I showed him, linking his arm around mine.

"You people do weird things here..." Turbo said as we headed back to my car.

* * *

Back at home, I made us some more hot chocolate. "Whipped cream?" I asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" Turbo replied.

I chuckled softly. I suddenly had an idea. I went over, setting our glasses down. I took some whipped cream off of mine, dabbing a bit on Turbo's nose and giggling. Turbo went cross eyed, blinking a bit.

"And why did you do that...?" After trying, and failing, to lick it off, he took it off with a finger.

"I thought it was cute."

Turbo raised a brow at me. "Cute? Girly, I don't do 'cute.'"

I took a sip of my hot chocolate. "Sometimes, Turbo... the smallest things can make the biggest difference. Sometimes it takes one little gesture to change someone."

"Well, I think I'm perfect just the way I am, thank you very much."

I stood up, cleaning our glasses. "I'm heading to bed."

"Already?" Turbo tilted his head.

"I have work in the morning. You'll have to stay here while I'm gone tomorrow. I'm trusting you to not destroy my house while I'm gone, okay?"

"Can't I come with you?" Turbo asked. He then shook his head. "'C- 'Cuz ya know, it's pretty boring here as it is."

I smiled a bit. "As much as I'd love for you to come, I can't allow you. I have a job to do. Don't worry. I'll be just uptown."

I had cleaned out the spare room, so Turbo was very happy to have his own bed to sleep in. I settled in, hoping for no nightmares tonight.

But that was not the only thing I should have worried about.

Two shady individuals watched my house silently in the darkness of night.

"Are you sure this is where he is?" One asked.

"Absolutely. The tracker doesn't lie." The second replied.

"What do we do about the girl?" The first asked.

"We'll show her that he isn't as perfect as he makes himself out to be, in time. He WILL pay for what he has done to us. But we have to be careful. This situation must be handled with care."

"That little twerp will never see us coming."

The two chuckled softly as they retreated into the shadows.

* * *

The next morning, I showered quickly, grabbing a quick bite to eat and headed out the door. Turbo was still asleep, and I left him a small note on the side table beside his bed. I sighed contently as I pulled into the parking lot of the bank, heading inside.

"Morning, Angela." I greeted.

"Oh, hey Kara, I'm glad you just walked in. We just signed up two new guys for our internship program, I was hoping you'd show them around later."

"Yeah, of course." I put my stuff down at my desk.

As I was setting up, I heard Angela talking to someone. I looked up, and saw her talking to two young men... looked like college students. I whipped my head back down to my things, hiding a blossoming of red in my cheeks. They were quite attractive. They both had very light skin, but one was blonde with green eyes, his golden locks falling just below his ears, and the second had pin straight hair as black as night that fell to his shoulders, with piercing blue eyes. As they approached, my mind was screaming. I composed myself, trying not to show how hot and bothered I was.

"These are the two interns, Johan and Benjamin. Guys, this is Kara. She's the associate supervisor here." Angela introduced us and I shook both of their hands.

"It's a pleasure to have you with us. I hope you gain some valuable experience here." I say as professionally as possible.

"Why don't you show them down to the teller's booth? Just give them a run through of their job description. I already took care of their paperwork."

"Sure." I said as I led them down the stairs to the teller's booth. I took a deep breath, mentally trying to calm myself. This was certainly going to be interesting...

* * *

Turbo groaned a bit, sitting up and stretching his arms. He hopped out of bed, about to walk out of the room when he noticed a note.

"Dear Turbo; I'm at work. I left some waffles for you on the counter to heat up and there's some food in the pantry for lunch. I'll take care of dinner. Don't destroy my house or cause any trouble. I'll see you later! ~Kara."

Turbo rolled his eyes. "It's like I'm some ten year old. I don't need a babysitter, girly." He sighed as he ate breakfast, looking out the window. It was raining. "What the heck am I supposed to do all day...?"

Turbo sighed as he wandered through the house... and found himself wandering into my room. He giggled a bit to himself.

"Let's see what she has in here... heh heh..."

He rummaged through a few things, before tilting his head. "What the...?" He took out a photo, looking upon it. The photo was of me, far younger than I was now, and a little boy. In the background was an arcade game at a restaurant. The photo dropped to the ground as Turbo scrambled backwards, gasping for air.

"My... game..." He breathed. "She had played my game."

* * *

**Hope this was a good start! I am a HUGE Turbo fan. See you next chapter!**


	2. A Bumpy Road

**Here is chapter two! Just a foreword; the topic of eating disorders is touched upon in this chapter. I hope readers here know that no one should EVER starve themselves to look "beautiful." Being healthy is being beautiful! Also, some perverted guys in this chapter. NEVER go anywhere alone, people! Monsters are lurking everywhere. Well, with the seriousness out of the way, please enjoy!**

* * *

I finished up for the day, getting my things together. "Johan, Benjamin, great first day! I'll see you tomorrow." I smiled and waved at them, heading to my car. I drove home, heading inside.

"Turbo?" I called out.

Turbo walked up to me a bit slowly.

"Hey." He said a bit quieter and less boisterous than usual.

"You... okay? Did something happen?"

"No. Just... was bored, is all."

I smiled. "Well, the evening is ours. Listen... there's some new movies coming out this week. Maybe we can see an evening show."

"Yeah... sure. Listen... there's something I need to do. I need to reprogram my game. See... I've been feeling a bit... I just miss it, ya know?"

"I wouldn't know how to do that, Turbo..."

Turbo would find out in time. Indeed, he believed I was very easy to manipulate. But he would soon discover that things were not as simple as he thought. Now, I had been a lucid dreamer my whole life. But for some reason, they seemed to worsen once Turbo had come.

* * *

Turbo was sound asleep when he was jolted awake by a loud noise. He burst out the room in his onesies, running to my room. "Kara, I just heard-"

I was not there.

"What...? Kara!" Turbo shouted.

He noticed something in the reflection of my vanity. He gasped when he saw me standing behind him.

"Thank codes, something is-" He blinked, taking a step back when he turned around to look at me.

I was sleep walking. He saw my eyelids flicker occasionally, showing the whites of my eyes.

"Are you... players can't glitch... can they? Wha- hey! Get back here!" He shouted as he followed me.

Before long, I had reached the spare room.

"Uh... listen... you've been a great help and all, but this is getting ridiculous. I'm going to find someone to help me reprogram my game and get revenge on-"

"You're pathetic." I said.

"... Excuse me?!" Turbo growled.

"You will always be alone. You will never be loved because you deserve no love. Even a materialized animation can use you."

"Hey, you listen to me, you little-! Wait... what?"

"He will hurt you... no, he won't... I will show you... no, please, I don't want to see anymore..."

Turbo furrowed his eyebrows. Suddenly I began to gasp for air, bursting into hysterics. I cried out for Turbo, begging him in my slumber to help. He backed away at first, but then ran back, shaking me.

"The things I do for- wake up!"

I soon calmed, becoming limp as my head flopped into his chest. Turbo sighed.

"What is with you...?"

"I care about him, Rayne..." I said softly. "... but he does not care about you." I said, my voice a bit different.

Turbo furrowed a brow. "... Rayne...?"

I finally calmed, breathing evenly as I slept.

* * *

The next morning, Turbo woke to see me still in bed. He had put me there after the ordeal from the night before.

"Hey... wake up. You have to get going."

I slowly came to, yawning and stretching out. I then blinked. "Um... what am I doing in your room...?"

"You went for a little stroll around the house last night, and had one of your glitchy moments in your sleep."

I sighed sadly. "I'm sorry. I don't know why it's been so out of control lately..."

Turbo grumbled. "Just hurry up. I need to figure out how to reprogram my game so I can go back home. The hotel service is nice, but there is nothing better than the thrill of racing." He groaned when I furrowed my brows. "Listen, kid. I know you're my biggest fan or whatever... and as smart of you as it was to tend to someone as awesome as me, I have some things I have to get done. I have a grudge to carry out." Turbo said.

I looked at him sadly, and got to my feet. "I'm gonna get ready for work." I said monotonously, heading out of the room.

After some time, I left without another word. As soon as I left, Turbo hopped onto my computer, researching to see what he could find about reprogramming his game. After a few hours of fruitless efforts, he finally shut the machine off in defeat.

"Why is reprogramming a game so CONFUSING?! Ugh... I should try this television thing out."

He went into the living room, flipping on the TV. He flipped through a few channels until he came across a daytime talk show.

"Good morning. Today on our program, we discuss the topic of eating disorders. It is so important to understand the ins and outs of the causes and treatments in order to help our loved ones, or even yourself."

"... what is this garbage?" Turbo tilted his head. He watched a bit more.

"Eating disorders can cause severe health problems, or worse, death."

Turbo's eyebrows raised at this. He'd had enough, changing the channel. He eventually decided that cartoons and racing programs were more entertaining than these... talk shows. Some were weird, or confusing.

* * *

Meanwhile, at work, I was getting along well with the two new interns. I have to say, I still blushed a bit whenever either of them smiled; there was just something about them. At the end of the day, I almost felt sad saying goodbye to them... but then I remembered I had someone special... well, in his own messed up way... at home.

I walked in the door, and Turbo was watching TV. "Hey." I smiled. "Any luck on reprogramming your game?"

Turbo grimaced at first, but it melted into a smug expression. "Well, good news for you, blondie, I'll be around for a bit longer than expected."

Turbo raised a brow at my expression. I must have been smiling more than I realized. A sudden euphoria came over me as I practically skipped to my room to change. "Did you decide what movie you want to see?"

"No... they all sound the same to me."

"Well... we'll go to this one. It's at 9, so we have some time to eat first."

* * *

I put the alarm on my car as we headed in. It's amazing how people just sometimes fail to react to certain things. Turbo and I just went along our way and no one seemed to react oddly to a walking, talking animated character. We found a couple of seats; the theater was not crowded on a Tuesday night.

The movie began, as Turbo and I munched on popcorn. It was an action movie, for sure. Some time in, I smiled when I noticed Turbo was actually getting into it.

Then, it came. A kiss scene. And it was pretty heated.

I glanced over at Turbo, who stuck out his tongue in disgust. I couldn't help but smile a bit, exhaling deeply. He was apparently not into kissing. That, or he just was not into the actors doing the kissing.

Turbo was blabbing about the movie the entire ride home, and I blabbed with him. It was the first time he was REALLY talkative, and I wanted to make it last as long as possible.

"Turbo...?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I really enjoyed tonight... with you."

Turbo chuckled. "Well it ain't a party unless I'm around."

I knew there would be no nightmares tonight as I laid my head on my pillow.

* * *

Turbo awoke, hopping out of bed and whistling a bit as he headed to the kitchen to eat something. I came in the room not long after... but something was off.

"I called in work... I feel lightheaded."

"Lightheaded...?" Turbo raised a brow. "Sometimes I would feel wobbly if I had too much root beer at Tapper's..."

"Ahh..." I hissed and rubbed my head. "What is Tapper's?"

"Only the best bar in the arcade."

"Plenty of bars and clubs around here... never been to any of them."

"What? How- oh that is it! I need to do you a favor. You need to have some DRIVE, girly! We are going to a... you call it a club here?"

"Out of the question." I groaned. "I didn't have enough to eat yesterday..." I sighed.

"You look almost as pale as me." Turbo noted. "It suits your looks but... you may want to take care of that."

"Ugh... I'm gonna lie on the couch..." I wobbled over to it, lying down.

"Players like you control us... but you're so... weak." He said. "I don't get it." He decided he wanted to take this time to search through my room some more.

He found a small journal amongst my things, chuckling to himself. "This should be good." As he flipped through it, he began to take a journey into my past through its pages.

"Today my friend Chris brought me to the arcade in town. I hope I don't get into trouble. He really likes Mario. I like it too. I saw a game called-"

Turbo stopped reading for a moment, taking in a breath. "... Turbo Time. It was really fun. My mom was annoyed that I kept saying 'Turbo tastic!' I can't wait to play it again."

He read through its pages until the end, taking out the next one. He began to see how lonely and sweet I was... and how much of a connection I had with him.

"... everyone plays this game called Road Blasters, even Chris. But I like Turbo Time better. Turbo is always smiling. Whenever the kids at school make me feel sad..." Turbo sighed.

"... he always brightens my day." I finished, standing in the doorway.

If Turbo was a cat, he'd be clinging to the ceiling right now. I slowly approached him, in his frozen state, gently taking the journal from his hands. I flipped to a page.

"Today was the saddest day of my life." I read to him. "Turbo has disappeared. I came to the arcade with my dad again because Chris is moving. Something terrible happened to him. This is all my fault. I should have played him more. Maybe then he would have stayed. Who will make me feel better now when I'm bullied at school, or when Chris moves? I hope Turbo knows that I still love him, that one person still cares... like he cared about me."

Turbo was speechless as I gently placed the journal back in its place. I smiled softly at him, slowly getting to my feet as I held my head.

_"Sometimes, Turbo... the smallest things can make the biggest difference. Sometimes it takes one little gesture to change someone."_ Turbo thought in his mind from what I had said just days earlier. He blinked, looking up at me. "So much for resting on the couch, kiddo..."

I chuckled. "You read pretty loudly, Turbo."

* * *

For the next couple of days, Turbo seemed to not be as willing to up and leave as he was before. Sure, he had already said he was staying because of his delay in reprogramming his game, but now he seemed to want to stay for more than that. That weekend, I had a pretty long shopping list to attend to.

"Come on, I have to go to the food store." I said as I put on my jacket.

Turbo grumbled. "I'm watching NASCAR."

"I thought you said it was the most boring racetrack you ever saw?"

"It is, but some racing is better than no racing."

"Well, I also need to eat. You don't want me to pass out again, do you?"

Turbo rolled his eyes. "You better appreciate this, blondie." He said as he turned off the television and hopped off the couch.

* * *

At the store, Turbo was like a little kid. He wanted EVERYTHING. At one point, he was starting to cause a scene.

"Turbo. People are staring. Please just put it back."

"But it's a little racecar! The least you can do is get me one being you won't let me drive!"

I rubbed my temples. "Okay. You can have ONE. That is it."

"There aren't any salmon colored ones here... can you ask if they have-"

"Turbo!"

"Oh alright, I'll get the red one! Pipe down, will ya?"

We paid for the groceries, and unloaded them into the house.

"Hey... can we try to go to one of those 'clubs?'"

"For the last time, Turbo, NO."

Turbo grumbled. "Okay. If you don't go... I'm gonna find out where those two guys you like live and tell them what you think of them."

I stopped dead in my tracks. "... Excuse me...?"

"You've been raving about them in your sleep. John and Ben?"

"It's Johan and Benjamin!" I blushed furiously. "And you have no right to judge me! I know you've been taking my teddy bear at night."

Turbo nearly spat out his drink. "Wha- that's-... prove it!"

I smirked. "Let's go see if he's in your room."

"... you wouldn't dare."

"My house." I had him now.

I faked a move, and Turbo bolted out of the chair.

"HA! It's not in there! I put him back in my room this morning!" I shouted when he was halfway down the hall.

Turbo stopped short, stomping his feet and muttering faux pas swears under his breath. "Alright, you got me!" He shouted. "But I still know you like those guys, and we're still going to that club unless you want me to march right up to where you work and blab about it for everyone to hear!"

"Yeah, sure. You can barely walk a few feet on a trail and you expect to walk ALL the way up town. Come talk to me when you have that planned out."

Turbo growled lowly. He then noticed my purse sitting on the table. He grinned evilly. He fished through it.

"My cellphone isn't in there, Turbo." I smiled.

"No... but this is..." He pulled out a piece of paper with Johan and Benjamin's numbers on them. He giggled as he walked over to my landline. "Let's see what they have to say about your feelings for them..." He pressed the on button.

The color drained from my face. "Turbo, give me the phone now."

"Not until you agree to go to a club with me." He dialed the first number.

"Turbo!"

"Just say yes..." He chuckled.

"Ugh, okay! Alright, we'll go! Just hang up the phone!"

"Heh heh..." Turbo hung up the phone, his expression smug. "I'll wait for you to get ready."

I groaned, slumping down on the couch.

* * *

"Turbo... I have never been INSIDE a club before. And I don't dance."

"Oh come on! What could be the harm? Besides, the party doesn't start without me. You'd be the luckiest person in the room, because you're walking in with me."

I sigh, rolling my eyes. "Alright we'll go in for a couple songs and that is IT."

I pull into the parking lot, and I reluctantly headed in with Turbo. The place was not as crowded as I thought but still a bit louder than I'd like.

"Come on!" Turbo said as he ran onto the dance floor. People stared at him like he had two heads, and went back to their own dancing. Probably thought he was a child, at first. I stood around awkwardly until I felt Turbo pulling me onto the dance floor. I was a bit shocked with him. Who knew he could be so outgoing? Maybe he had been King Candy's persona for too long...

After some time, he actually got me into it. I was actually having fun. He flashed me a big grin, and I took hold of his hands. He hesitated a moment, and I panicked as I pulled my hands away.

Ugh, I always screwed everything up.

"Sorry... I'll... I'll be right back." I said to him over the music, heading into the bathroom. I stayed there until I regained my composure. I was heading back to the dance floor to get Turbo and get out of there.

That is... until two guys blocked my way.

"Excuse me. I need to get my friend and-"

"Woah, woah baby, what's the rush? Don't you want to hang out?"

"No, no my friend and I really need to get going..."

"Friend? Who's your friend? Can she come?"

I thought for a moment. "Yeah... let me get... her..." I rushed back out to the dance floor, looking for Turbo. When I saw him, my heart sank.

"Well, I am a multi-champion! I've won more trophies than you can count!" Turbo said, wiggling his eyebrows at a girl.

"I'm only looking for... one trophy..." She giggled as she gently pet Turbo's cheek.

I had taken too long. I saw the two men moving through the crowd towards me. "Turbo!" I shouted. "Turbo, we really have to go!" I rush over to him, shaking him.

"Turbo, we really have to go. These guys are making me uncomfortable."

"Hey, come on, I'm talking to this very nice lady here."

"Well we have to go now, so say goodbye."

"What are you, my mother? Go bother someone else!" Turbo growled. It had been so long since he had girls swooning over him. He was not going to let his ego deflate, not now.

"Is she your girlfriend or something?" The random chick asked.

"Turbo, please! Those guys are-"

"Hey, come on babe, we don't like to be kept waiting." One guy said to me as he touched my arm.

"Turbo please, this is dangerous!"

Turbo slammed his fist down when the random chick rolled her eyes. "Look, it's not my fault that I'm a catch and you're not! Now just go away!" He shouted. He took the girl's hand, taking her to the other side of the place away from me.

I felt a lump forming in my throat. As I felt the two guys grab my hand I screamed and yanked my hand away.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted.

This was a big mistake.

Turbo, who was attempting to flirt with other girls, caught something out of the corner of his eye. He turned, seeing me being pulled along by two very angry looking men. When he noticed my frightened expression, his mission to pick up chicks with his multiple winner's status was immediately abandoned. When he saw one shove me forward, he growled lowly.

"Maybe she was right... Turbo, you idiot..." He said to himself. He followed the guys, and he grabbed a random metal bat that was propped up against the wall. Yes, she may have annoyed him a bit, but there was no doubt that he needed her to keep being cared for while he was still here.

"Hey! The girl's with me!" He shouted.

"Pfft, screw off! This skank is ours!"

Turbo's face turned beat red. "What did you call her?! She is NOT A SKUNK!" He growled, jumped, and hit the first guy with the baseball bat, knocking him unconscious. The second guy went to beat up Turbo, but he busted his kneecap, and then his head. For a small guy, Turbo was a force to be reckoned with. I grabbed my purse, dragging Turbo out of there kicking and swinging his arms before he became wanted for murder.

"They had some nerve calling you a skunk! And trying to beat you up!" Turbo said in the car. He then began to think about what he said to me, feeling a bit remorseful. He sighed, looking over at me. "Look, kid. I'm... I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

I was silent for several minutes as I drove. "Turbo... you don't want to know what those men were going to do to me."

"Oh yeah, I do! They were going to try to lock you up somewhere like Bowzer does to Princess Peach every five minutes! Well, I am not Mario! I'm not going through eight whole levels just to-"

"No Turbo. They would have done something... hurt me in a way that I could never heal from."

"But you've got all those powerups!"

I sighed. He would never understand. And I hoped it stayed that way.

"It's hard to explain. But I could have been hurt very badly. I would have been permanently traumatized."

Turbo grumbled. "Well then it's a good thing I was here, girly." He still didn't understand, but he could tell by the sound of my voice that I was very serious.

We pulled in the driveway, and I sighed, just sitting for a minute. I winced lightly as I rubbed my wrist. "I did manage to kick one of them pretty hard... if it was one guy I could have probably taken him pretty easily." I got out of the car finally, dragging myself into the house. Turbo followed.

That night, Turbo woke sometime early in the morning. He quietly tiptoed to the kitchen to get some water. When he was heading back to the spare room, he heard me sigh a bit from my room. He curiously peeked in to see if I was lucid dreaming again. He couldn't see much, except I was hugging my knees, staring out the window at the moon. He slowly and quietly headed back to bed, where he began to do some thinking of his own.

'What is the matter with me...?' He thought. 'I'm investing too much time in this kid. I didn't come here to make friends. I came to reprogram my game. And that's what I need to do. I'm going soft...' He shook his head, settling into bed and closing his eyes.

* * *

**Well, here is chapter two! Hope you all enjoy! :) More to come!**


	3. A New Perspective

**Hello again! Please enjoy. Also, thank you so much for your kind words so far, readers, it is much appreciated! :D [EDIT] I extended the chapter a bit, and also fixed a few annoying errors. Again, please enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning, Turbo awoke to a sound, but it wasn't screaming or groaning. He rubbed his eyes, following the sound to my room where I was cleaning. I had my headphones on my still damp hair, singing along to some song. Now, Turbo wasn't much of a music person. The only thing that was music to his ears was the sound of engines revving up on a race track. But something seemed to glow inside of him in response to my singing, even if a couple of the notes were off pitch. When I finished cleaning, not realizing he was there, I took out some clothes for the day, starting to take off my pajama pants. Turbo's eyes widened, his legs suddenly frozen in place. I turned, in my underwear, to grab my jeans.

When our eyes met, I froze solid for a split second before emitting a shriek, throwing off my headphones and grabbing a blanket to cover my legs. Now, I still had my pajama shirt on and he didn't SEE anything because I thankfully had underwear on, but I was still freaked out nonetheless.

"Don't you know how to KNOCK?!" I screamed.

"I- well- it's not my fault you didn't hear me!" He puffed out his cheeks as they quickly turned pink.

"Jeez Turbo, don't you know when to give someone a LITTLE privacy?!" I suddenly inhaled sharply, looking away in panic and embarrassment. "Oh my... that is not what I look like, okay?! It's bad lighting and you have a bad angle from where you are!"

"What are you talking about? You don't look like what?" He smirked then. "That you have underwear with my face on it?" He wiggled his eyebrows and chuckled. I gasped, gripping the blanket tighter.

"Just get out of here! I don't need YOU making me feel worse about myself!"

"Hey, come on, I'm not taking pictures or anything! Jeez, it's like you think I'll turn to stone or something."

"Just go, Turbo. Please." I sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, blondie." He walked out of the room, but not before he heard me mutter to myself.

"Ugh, I'm so fat and disgusting..."

Turbo quirked a brow. He thought nothing of it for a bit, until he sat on the couch and flipped through the channels, coming across that weird talk show. His eyebrows furrowed lightly as he had a flashback.

_"Rhonda, tell us about some of the symptoms of someone suffering from an eating disorder."_

_"Someone suffering can show a variety of signs. Under eating, a bad self image, weakness, dizziness... eating disorders can deprive the body of essential nutrients, and can lead to death..."_

Death. Death. DEATH.

"Players can't regenerate if they die." Turbo whispered to himself. "She's been pretty nice... I don't want her to DIE!"

For the first time in Turbo's life, Turbo was scared for someone other than himself.

I rubbed my temples as I finally came out of my bedroom, but I stopped, raising my brows as I blinked. Turbo was running around my kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off, as he was rushing to make a cake; although, he was making more of a mess than he was a cake.

"What... are you doing...?" I shook my head.

"What does it look like, kid?" Turbo said in a stressful manner. I walked up to him, sighing a bit.

"Here. Let me help. If you wanted a cake so badly, you could have just asked instead of going through all this trouble."

"This ain't for me, Kara."

I widened my eyes a bit. I could have counted on one hand how many times he called me by my actual name, not "girly," "blondie" or "kid."

When he popped the cake in the oven, he looked as if he was going to burst out of his helmet with impatience.

"Turbo... what's wrong...?

The racer bit his lip, looking like a kid who just got caught stealing out of the cookie jar. "Look, kid. I... I have to be honest with you. When I first came here, I just wanted to get my game reprogrammed, get my revenge and forget you. You were just a pawn in my game. Even when you stuck up for me, or when I helped you out of those jams... I did it just because I needed your help."

He had trouble looking at my heartbroken expression as he said this.

"But..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I can't deny it anymore, kiddo. You've somehow gotten under my skin. The player's plane is a lot more confusing than I thought. I thought it would be so easy. But I feel something... different... since I've been here. Like... like maybe... I actually care about you, or something."

I shook my head at him. "So you tell me that you only care about me because you need me to help you take care of some grudge, just to clear your conscience, and you're going to be all nice now so you can get me to help you."

Turbo shook his head. "That's not what I'm trying to do. I just..."

"Just leave me alone." I held my head.

"No... no kid, listen to me!"

"No, YOU listen to ME! I am sick and tired of being used by people. I am sick and tired of being thrown away like a used up rag!" Tears began to well up in my eyes, and as I walked into the other room, a sob slipped out. Turbo hopped off the chair.

"Hey, come back!" He shouted as he ran after me.

"Why? Why even try to play this game anymore, Turbo? You already know you don't care about me, so why stick around?! I don't know how to reprogram your game, I am no help to you! You'd be better off finding someone who can!"

"Kid, listen, I don't know why I stick around, but I do know that I don't want something bad to happen to you! I let my brothers down once and they were the only ones who did anything for me. I was devastated when I lost them, it changed me."

"What am I to you, Turbo? Just go. Just leave like everyone else. I have lived my whole life alone, and I'll just die alone. I have accepted that!"

As I went to move away, Turbo tugged on my arm. He screamed his next words to the point where he closed his eyes shut.

"I don't want you to die! Because then you won't come back!"

I stopped, looking down at the pale faced racer.

He sighed. "You were the only one that kept coming back to me. Even with Road Blasters still in place. You're the only one who cares even now."

"Turbo... It was one little girl in one little restaurant. Thousands of your games were recalled along with Road Blasters. What difference did I make?"

"Well... I believe a blonde chick told me once that sometimes, the smallest things can make the biggest difference." For the first time, Turbo's smile had no maliciousness or excitement behind it. It was simple, it was genuine.

The oven beeped at that point, and Turbo ran to get the cake out of the oven; he had obviously learned a thing or two from being King Candy. He placed it on the table, quickly slapping on some chocolate frosting. It took me a few seconds to let his words sink in... this couldn't have been an act.

"You're gonna eat this." He said.

"Um..." I walked back into the room, wiping my eyes. "Why did you do this, Turbo? And you know... all... 'players...' do die someday. We age. We get old, and sick."

Turbo smiled. "I'm not gonna let that happen, kid. You're gonna get all your vitamins and powerups. Besides... you would be squat without me."

I sat down slowly, and he gave me a slice. I stared at him for a moment, and then I did something I know Turbo would have never allowed anyone to do before.

I hugged him.

I felt him stiffen for a moment. But then, his spine relaxed a bit, and though he didn't exactly hug back, his patting my shoulder was all I needed.

"Thank you, Turbo." I said, smiling softly as I then ate the cake; it was actually pretty good. The corner of his mouth poked into an awkward smile, one that was perhaps closer to Felix's persona than his own.

"No problem, kid."

After I finished, I put the rest of the cake into a cake container I had.

"Let's go to the psych center grounds." I smiled.

"Um... why...?"

"You'll see."

* * *

Once I parked the car, I gave Turbo the keys. He looked up at me, raising a brow.

"I'm laying down some ground rules. You are not to drive off the grounds. You are not to speed. And if you see a cop you slow down. Am I clear?"

A large, rather frightening grin inched upon Turbo's face. And then, it came;

"Turbo tastic!"

I laughed as he scrambled out of the car, the most excited I had ever seen him.

* * *

As I sat- or rather, cowered- in the front passenger seat, I gripped the safety handle.

"Turbo, I said NO SPEEDING." I said loudly.

"Haha! I haven't had this much of a rush since I reprogrammed that infernal sugar bowl! Woo hoo!"

"Okay okay, pull over here. There, right there!" I sighed, looking around for any flashing lights. Maybe this was a day the cops decided not to patrol the area. We got out, and I looked around.

"Building 23 used to be here..."

"Huh?"

"There used to be a building here but it was demolished some time ago. I remember walking on the roof once. It was only a couple floors high but it provided a nice view of 7, 21 and 22."

"What's with all these numbers? It's so confusing."

"If you lived or worked here long enough you got the hang of matching the buildings to the numbers. Wanna take a walk?"

"Ehh... since you let me drive, I guess we can do something you want now."

I rolled my eyes as we walked. As we approached the three connected buildings, Turbo's eyes looked all around, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Come this way, I want to show you something."

We walked around to one side, where there was a large wall built to enclose a portion close to the building.

"Wow, a big wall. Like I haven't seen that before." Turbo said.

"This was used to keep very crazy, impulsive, violent patients inside. And this is not as bad as your 'fungeon...' jeez Turbo, you getting Turbo Time recalled could have given you a one way ticket to a place like this. You're lucky that you didn't."

Turbo grumbled. "And why not?"

"Because... a patient could have gotten you..." I quickly turned and cried out loudly, scaring Turbo. I laughed as he growled, but his grimace soon turned into a grin.

"Ooh you are gonna get it, girly!" Turbo said, and we took to chase. I giggled as we ran around the huge circle road about the buildings, and it was amazing that he kept it up for so long when he couldn't even walk for five minutes on a trail. However, my vision started to blur, and I began to feel a dry, tight feeling in my throat.

Turbo stopped to catch his breath, before looking around. "Hey, kid! Where'd you go?" He looked around, until he caught something out of the corner of his eyes. He ran towards the source, where he suddenly found me on my knees, gasping for air. "Kara!" He shouted, racing over to kneel by my side. "What happened, what's..." He tilted his head. He suddenly saw transparent movement, as if a second person was inside me. As I choked, he extended his hand towards the transparent form. The hand took his, and the world around him swirled into a new dimension.

Turbo gasped. Everything was the same, but blurry, windy. His eyes widened as he saw that now I had become the transparent form, and a girl, the one holding his hand, looked a bit similar to me, but wore a more sinister expression. Her skin was far paler, her hair as black as night, and she had piercing red eyes. She grinned wickedly.

"Turbo... what is a code? A chain of individual pieces to form an electrical signal. You are existing within the realm of what you call 'players.' Here, there is the world of the living, and the spiritual world. I am a part of Kara. I was created as a dual mind... but because I am not whole, I exist within this dual plane. You can see me because you are a receptor of electrical signals."

"Who are you?" Turbo asked, narrowing his gaze.

"I am Rayne."

Turbo raised his eyebrows, and then growled. "You're the one making her glitch at night!"

Rayne laughed. "There is nothing you can do to stop me. But I will stand back and watch how all of this unfolds."

"How what unfolds?! Hey, you better leave her alone, you freak!"

Rayne's laughter faded into a hushed echo as she released Turbo's hand, sending him back into the living world. He looked at me, passed out.

"A world... within a world...? On the player's plane? How is this possible...?" He whispered.

* * *

****I groaned a bit as I opened my eyes. "Turbo...?"

"I'm here." He said quietly. "I managed to get you back into the car."

I sat up, rubbing my head. "What happened...?"

"You passed out. We were chasing each other and then you had trouble breathing."

I swallowed thickly. "Oh... I'm sorry." I hugged my knees.

"Kara...?"

"Hm...?"

"Tell me about Rayne."

A chill surged through my spine and my breathing quickened.

"How do you know about her?"

"I know she's the one who makes you glitch at night. She's some kind of error in your code."

I sighed. "Turbo... when someone goes through being hurt a lot... it changes them."

"I know." Turbo said quietly.

"But I didn't want to change. So... I began to push my resentment, hatred, and anger into isolation. Over the years it began to fester and grow. When I was hurt, and couldn't bear it, this other part of me would. Soon, this form took on a human appearance in my mind. And human traits. I began to hear a voice. I began to see a face in my dreams. I began to feel like I wasn't alone anymore. And one day, she chose a name for herself."

Turbo's eyebrows furrowed. "Can't you just... get rid of her?"

I shook my head. "It's complicated. She is a part of who I am."

"Well, she isn't you. And you aren't her. She can't just mess with your programming like that."

"She shows me things in my dreams. She tells me to trust no one because everyone has their own agenda. Everyone wants something, even if it destroys me."

Turbo sighed. He remembered what he admitted to her that day. How many others had taken advantage of her kindness in the past?

"Look, girly. I'll be around for a while. Like I said, you'd be squat without me."

I smiled a bit. "I know." I got up to drive, but Turbo stopped me.

"Let me. I won't speed, I promise."

"Turbo, you don't have a license."

"... darn."

* * *

When I pulled in the driveway, I saw two people at my front porch. Upon realizing who it was, my heart skipped a beat as I suddenly scrambled to make myself look presentable.

"Oh my- Johan and Benjamin are at MY HOUSE!" Turbo shook his head in awe as I freaked out, rummaging through my bag to put on cover up and lip gloss before they could notice. After quickly brushing my hair and checking my teeth in the rear view mirror, I opened the door; moving too quickly, I stumbled as I nearly fell flat on my face, closing the door.

"Hi!" I said a bit louder than I should have, mentally slapping myself. Turbo slowly emerged from his seat, closing the car door.

Benjamin turned, smiling coolly. "Ah, we were just about to head back. I'm glad we ran into you."

Johan had turned also, but was smiling a bit nervously, looking warily at Turbo.

"Hey, guys! Well, I just had to run a few errands. Here, come on in." I unlocked my door and we all headed inside. "Make yourselves at home! Sorry that it's a bit cluttered."

"You have a lovely home, Kara, thank you." They took off their jackets, having a seat on the couch. I sat in the armchair, and Turbo grumbled when he was forced to bring over a chair from the dining room.

"So, what brings you guys here?" I smiled.

"Well, we've been drafting up our own resumes to have on file for future job interviews. Angela said you'd be more than happy to review them, so I hope it's alright." Benjamin said. Johan still had barely said a word.

"Absolutely, I would love to look them over." I took their resumes, placing them on the small side table. Just then, my phone rang. "Please excuse me, I'll be right back." I got up, going into the other room.

When I was out of earshot, Johan whispered to Benjamin, distraught.

"He's right there... I can't wait anymore, I want him to pay for what he did-"

"No. We have to do this right. Just calm down." Benjamin snapped in a hushed whisper.

Turbo looked up at them, raising a brow. "So... you guys write lots of these 'resumes?'"

Johan glared at Turbo. "How DARE you speak to m-"

Benjamin pinched his arm, causing Johan to look away. "Johan doesn't do well with strangers."

Turbo chuckled. "Jeez, I'm not gonna eat you or anything."

Benjamin cleared his throat. "So... how is it that you... how did you get here?"

"I ran into her..." He nodded his head towards the kitchen where I was on the phone. "... at some weird loony bin."

"No, I mean, how did you get here? In the real world?"

"I created a special device that could eject my code out of the game world. Say... do you guys have any idea how to reprogram a game from here?"

The two young men exchanged a brief glance.

"You see..." Turbo started. "I know how to reprogram a game already in existence from inside the game world. But I can't figure out how to recreate a new code entirely, from the player's plane.

"Hm... well, we have wondered the same- uh, we are kind of into games and such, ourselves. Apparently, you have to 'download' something."

"Download?" Turbo tilted his head.

"It's a program called 'the flash.' It is a program that you can create games with."

"Ah... that would be helpful." He grinned. "I shall find the flash, and get Turbo Time back!"

Benjamin smiled darkly. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

"Thank you guys so much for stopping by. Sorry about being on the phone for so long. I will be sure to look over your resumes as soon as I can." I said.

"No, thank you, for doing this for us." Johan smiled softly.

"Please, do take your time." Benjamin shook my hand, and a small chill ran up my spine at his touch.

As they left, Turbo snickered. "Those guys were weird. What do you see in them?"

I shrug. "They're cute." I head back in the house, Turbo following behind.

"So who was on the phone before?" Turbo asked.

I sighed then, glancing away. "No one important."

Turbo raised a brow. "Problem?"

"Just... I would rather not talk about it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Johan fumed. "Did you see that little squirt? Like he owns the place!"

"Calm down. We will get him. Let him reprogram his game. When he does our dirty work and thinks he's rising to fame once again, we will tear his pillar down so he'll have nothing to stand on." Benjamin assured.

"... what about... her...?"

"He doesn't care about her enough... yet. He is Turbo, after all. He still has reprogramming his game for his own sake at top priority. It will take a lot to soften him, but I think the girl may be able to pull it off."

"But... she doesn't know about us... how will we deal with her when everything boils over?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now... we just have to be patient. Our time will come."

* * *

**Well, I think the chapter extension was a good decision, don't you? I am working diligently on chapter four, so stay tuned, readers! :D**


	4. A Turbo Tastic Time

**This chapter is sure to bring a lot of smiles. I decided to have this take place around the holidays; it's the perfect time for all those warm feelings to be expressed. Also, it's important to note that I am in fact a Christmas baby. :D So without further ado, here is chapter four! Please enjoy!**

* * *

A few days before Christmas, Turbo was in dream land when he suddenly felt someone gently shaking him.

"Meh... needs more peanut butter..." He mumbled in his sleep.

"Turbo, wake up. We have to get ready."

"Not too much chocolate syrup..."

"Turbo." I shook a little harder.

"... not now, I'm... shining the engine..."

I smiled as he grumbled in his sleep. I leaned down, giggling quietly as I planted a small kiss on his cheek. It did the trick, his eyes fluttering open as he yawned. I blushed lightly, hoping he didn't make a fuss about the small gesture.

"Good morning, sleepy head. Get dressed, we have a train to catch."

Luckily, he didn't even seem to notice I had kissed him awake. "A train? Why in the heck are we going on a train?" Turbo blinked a bit, looking at my attire. I wore a nice plaid top with black dress pants. "Uh... what's the occasion?"

I giggled. "You'll see."

Turbo raised a brow as I walked out of the room, and he rolled his eyes. "Interrupting my beauty sleep..." He grumbled to himself. He got cleaned up and dressed, flopping down on the couch. "Okay girly, so what have you got churning in that noggin of yours?"

I didn't answer, getting my things together before we headed out to my car. At the station, I purchased tickets for us before boarding the train. We got our seats, noticing the train was pretty empty.

"So... where is your 'exciting' and suspiciously vague adventure taking us today?" Turbo asked. We both wanted window seats, so we sat in the area where some of the seats faced each other.

"We are going to the one of a kind New York City. There are infinite number of things to do and places to go... but I have a few plans for us."

"I'll be the judge of what's 'one of a kind' or not. And what kinds of plans?"

I smirked and shook my head. "What's the point of trying to surprise you if you make me tell you?"

"Well, what if I don't like it?" Turbo crossed his arms. My face saddened a bit, and he sighed. "Okay, okay... I'll bite. But this better be good, kid. I didn't drag myself out of bed for nothing."

* * *

When we reached Penn Station, I held onto Turbo's hand to ensure he didn't get lost despite his silent protesting. As awkward as his expression was, I did it for his own good. I was not about to lose a famous animated Disney villain in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world. Turbo was like a child, the way his eyes and head darted everywhere to take in his new surroundings. Some time later, I smiled as we made it to our first location. Turbo's eyes widened, his mouth opening only to close again.

"This... no... why... wait... this is..."

"This is Grand Central Station. It looks familiar because this is the place that Game Central Station was based off of." I said.

"Wow... talk about having your mind blown..." Turbo breathed.

I chuckled as I let him wander around the place for a bit. After some time, I tapped his shoulder. "Come on, we have more places to go."

Turbo was uplifted by all the sights, the sounds, and the glowing radiance of the city. Anything he wanted, from pizza to ice cream in winter to a red scarf to match his jumpsuit, I got. I don't think he even realized that I did not once deny him anything... or perhaps he did, and decided not to question it. Eventually, we made it to Central Park, where we sat and talked for a bit.

"That is Strawberry Fields over there. It's based off of a band called the Beatles. They're a great band."

"Huh... not much into music, but whatever floats your boat." Turbo commented.

"Over back there is the way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art."

"What's in there? What kind of art? Museums are pretty boring."

"They have art from all different time periods and countries. Ancient Egypt, China, even Mesopotamia."

"Again, you people have the weirdest names for places here."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Oh, and there..." I pointed. "Is one of the most infamous restaurants in the whole city, Tavern on the Green. We can go there another day. There's another restaurant that's my personal favorite that I'm taking us."

"Those bushes are cool... you should trim one to look like me... now that would be classy." He flashed a smirk at me.

"Come on, mister big ego. I'm getting hungry." I said as we continued along our way.

A taxi ride later, we were outside of a small, but savvy restaurant named Vynl.

"I love this place. When my uncle was still alive- God rest his soul -he took my family and I to eat here a couple times. Even after he died, I came here with my parents a couple times whenever we visited."

"Oh." He felt a small pang in his heart, the subject of the deceased making him think once again of his brothers.

As I ate a grilled cheese sandwich, I noticed Turbo was a bit quiet suddenly as he ate.

"Everything okay, Turbo?"

A sigh. "I..." He paused. "This is all... a bit much to take in. I mean, it's awesome... the world outside the arcade is so... big."

"You have no idea." I smiled. "But... are you having fun?"

"Yeah, it's a blast."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic..."

"Just... why...? Why do all this for me?" I was taken aback by the question. He cleared his throat suddenly. "I- I mean... I'm awesome, but I can't help but feel that there's a motive or something behind this."

I smiled a bit sadly. "Turbo... you came into my life out of the blue. You've saved my life on several occasions already-"

"Yeah, but even I admit I got you into those situations in the first place." Turbo interjected. "What does that have to do with doing all this? I mean, you've even satisfied all my demands, when you usually tell me not to make a scene. Not like yourself, huh, kiddo?"

So he had noticed, after all.

I exhaled sharply. "Nevertheless. You've... you've done so much... and I feel like you deserve to be treated."

Turbo smirked, shaking his head. "You trust me too much, kid. I'm a champion, for land's sake! I can have it all, and more."

"I know, Turbo. Which is why I'm even more grateful that you've stuck around."

Turbo blinked, quieting for a second. "You know... you've got your own place and everything, and a job... you could be... pretty great too. You could... have it all."

I sighed lightly. "It's complicated, Turbo. It's not as easy here to get certain luxuries as it is in the gaming world."

He looked up at me, feeling a bit bad as I smiled sadly. He had a feeling there was a lot more to me that he wasn't aware of, and he figured it would be better not to inquire.

"Look... you've been pretty nice. I don't... understand a lot about the player's world, it's a lot more confusing than I imagined. But... I'm sure there's some way for you to get what you want. I mean, when I want something, I do whatever I need to do to get it."

"As true as it is that people her do that also, it doesn't make it right. If I want something, I'm going to get it the right way. And if I never get it... then at least I know that I do the right thing, no matter what."

The right thing... Turbo had done the opposite of that for a long time. In the end, he had ended up worse than he started. Was this the time to turn over a new leaf, he wondered?

* * *

After having lunch, I told Turbo I wanted to stop somewhere. We approached the beautiful and infamous Church in Harlem known as St. John the Divine.

"You have to be quiet in here, okay? No talking above a whisper."

"Okay... what ate those things walking around?"

"Those are Peacocks. They live in the gardens here. I'm surprised they're out in this cold."

We headed in, and I bought a memorial candle at the entrance before moving through the breathtaking halls of the multi-denominational dwelling. We approached a smaller chamber where there were walls filled with spaces, people's names engraved on them. I lit the memorial candle, smiling softly as I placed it on the floor near a particular set of spaces. Turbo stood back, watching me as my fingers traced three names.

"Hey, guys." I said quietly. Tears came as I stood in silent respect for those who had passed. "Just stopping in with a friend. He's... different. But... he's the best one I've got." I smiled sadly, wiping my eyes as I slowly turned to leave.

Turbo didn't understand fully what happened just then, but he had a hunch. He thought of his brothers again... if players were far more susceptible to death than game characters... how many had I lost, he wondered?

"Come on, kiddo. Let's go have some more fun." His lip poked into a smile.

My eyes widened when he took my hand. "Turbo... I thought you hated holding hands...?"

"Well, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. This is a big place... wouldn't want you getting separated from the champ now, would ya?"

I smiled softly. "Come on. We have to get to Lincoln Center by five. We still have some time."

* * *

When we arrived, Turbo raised his eyebrows as he looked around. "Wow..."

"Yeah... Lincoln Center is pretty awesome. Come on, let's head in. You being King Candy for all those years should love the show playing here tonight."

"Oh har har... what, does it have a tribe of annoying little brats?"

Once inside, I went up to an employee, taking out a couple passes and handing it to him. "Come on, Turbo. We're gonna get our picture taken with a character from the play."

Turbo perked up. "Picture taken? With who?" When we were taken to the side, a ballerina playing a sugar plum fairy smiled and greeted us. Turbo must have made her a bit uncomfortable with his grin that was suddenly plastered to his face, because her smile wavered a bit.

"His first time seeing the Nutcracker. Play along." I chuckled as I whispered to her. After our photos were taken, we headed into the theatre and took our seats.

"The Nutcracker..." Turbo said as he read the program. "Sounds... interesting."

"I saw this for my 16th birthday. I hope you enjoy it, Turbo."

As the play began, Turbo leaned over to me.

"No one is talking." He whispered.

"It's a ballet, Turbo. There is no dialogue."

At first, Turbo pouted and crossed his arms, thinking this was going to be the most boring thing ever. However, when the Nutcracker began to fight the rat king and there were candy people jumping and twirling all about, Turbo was not just into it... he was entranced. Amazing for a guy who is obsessed with cars and racing. When the play ended, he looked at me, that crazy grin on his face once again. A few people were beginning to stare.

"So... how was it...?" I asked, trying not to draw too much attention.

"... Turbo tastic!" He said, perhaps a bit too loudly. I quickly shushed him, taking him out of the theatre and back into the main lobby.

As we headed out, I hid from him a Nutcracker I bought so that he could cherish this memory for... however long he existed for. I noticed him yawn, knowing the day was starting to wind down.

"There's one more place we have to go, Turbo."

"Where to, kiddo?"

"Rockefeller Center."

He chuckled. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You people have weird names for places here..."

* * *

When we arrived, the glow of the lights, which came from strung garlands and angel decorations, lit up Turbo's eyes. Oddly enough there was practically no one around, and Turbo slowly made his way to the overlook where there was a perfect view of the giant Christmas tree, standing proudly as it donned perhaps tens of thousands of lights.

"It's so big..." He whispered.

"The giant Christmas tree here is an annual tradition in the city. People come from all over to see it. I don't know anything else like it."

Turbo continued to stare, the reflection of all the lights reflecting in his yellow orbs. "It's... Turbo tastic..."

I chuckled a bit. "Hey, let's go skating." I pointed down below. "Down there."

Turbo's awestruck state was broken when he looked at the ice rink below. "Uhh... kid... I have never skated before. I'm programmed to drive cars, remember?"

"I don't much either. Come on, it will be fun!"

* * *

Turbo grumbled as he fell on his behind for the upteenth time. "This is too hard!" He whined.

"Just take your time!" I giggled as I helped him up. "Take baby steps."

As he tried, he started off well, but overstepped, slipping and sliding again. Luckily he wore a helmet 24/7 or he'd have a one way ticket to the E.R by now. I reached out to catch him, giggling a bit as he looked up at me. His grimace melted into a smile when he looked up at the Christmas tree, once again hypnotized by all the multicolored lights. Just then, right on cue, it began to snow, ever so gently. We both looked up, then at each other. Realizing suddenly how close he was to me, Turbo cleared his throat, backing up a bit.

"Uhh... I think it's getting a bit late. We should find the train."

I carefully lowered myself to my knees so I was closer to his height, smiling softly. Without saying a word, I gently pulled him into a warm hug.

"This is the best holiday I have ever had, Turbo. Thank you... for such a special day."

Turbo inhaled sharply. He has been so narcissistic and selfish his entire life, his ambition serving to satisfy only his own wants. But maybe, his champion days were a result of others; the players, satisfying their own wants for entertainment and perhaps for some, ego boosting. By that fact, that would mean that though Turbo may have been cold and heartless to numerous individuals, on the flip side, no one had ever been this kind to him, either. He slowly relaxed as I hugged him, his standoffish nature failing him this time. He gave in to the warmth of the embrace, and his arms coiled around my back to return the gesture. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he rested his head on my shoulder, closing his eyes. No force in the universe could tear apart this perfectly orchestrated moment.

* * *

Turbo's head limply rested on my shoulder on the train as he slept. I looked out into the night, never feeling so content in my life. When we finally pulled into the driveway, I first brought in all our stuff that we got from the city, and then I carried in Turbo, tucking him into bed. I showered and changed into my pajamas, crashing into bed myself. It didn't take long for sleep to take me... a perfect end to a perfect day.

* * *

**Aww, now this was just adorable! X3 Yes, I live about an hour or so from the city and I have visited quite a few times, so I named some of my favorite places to go. A lot of what I wrote in this chapter rings true to my life, and it feels kind of nice to share these experiences with others. So, stay tuned for more! :D**


	5. A Change of Heart

**Here it is, chapter five! I just want to take this moment to answer a question that one reviewer, SuperPaperPokemon, and perhaps other readers, had in mind. This story takes place in a combination of the "real" world where the movie exists, and an alternate world where we are in the world of Wreck-it-Ralph as players in the arcade. Essentially, the games exist, and Disney made a film based on "true events" where Turbo Time and Road Blasters were recalled because of the events in the movie. I apologize if this is a bit confusing, and I hope you can still enjoy the story regardless. :D**

* * *

The next day, I let Turbo sleep late. I took the opportunity to wrap up some gifts, putting a few for Turbo under the tree and packing some for my parents in the car to bring them later. When Turbo awoke to the sound of Christmas music playing on the stereo, he smiled a bit, yawning and stretching his arms.

"Morning." He said sleepily when he shuffled into the living room. "Where are you going?"

"More like afternoon..." I chuckled. "I'm bringing a few gifts to my parents."

"... alone?"

"Yes." I grabbed my purse and my keys. "I left a plate out for you on the counter. I'll be back in a bit."

Turbo watched me head out, and smiled to himself. He was beginning to think he was becoming as sappy as his friend from the past, Felix. He remembered having parties with him and the others at the arcade. Ah, he would always be a party starter, dancing on tables and trying to get a date while Felix tried to calm him down. That Felix... had he started to rub off on him?

* * *

I stormed into my car, slamming the door and exhaling sharply. I shook my head, starting the engine as I drove back to my house. Once I parked, I sat in the car for a few minutes, my head flopped back against the back of my seat, my eyes closed. I finally got out of the car, heading quickly into the house.

"Oh, hey, I finally saw that Christmas special you-" Turbo stopped mid sentence as I stormed past the couch, heading into my bedroom without a word. "... mentioned..." He tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows. "Well... someone's got her engine frazzled."

I was curled up in a fetal position on my bed. I had gotten into my pajamas, hugging my pillow tightly. I heard Turbo open the door, sighing. "I don't want to talk now, Turbo. Go back and watch TV."

"Look, kid. No one walks away when I'm talking to them. So you'd better explain yourself or-"

"What don't you get about I don't want to be bothered?!" I screamed and threw a pillow at him. "I've been humiliated enough today and I am not in the mood to be lectured by any more people!"

Little did they know, Benjamin and Johan were observing the scene, undetected.

"They're fighting." Johan said softly.

"Perfect." Benjamin grinned. "I knew Turbo's real side would come out sooner or later.

Turbo narrowed his eyes. "I've played your charade long enough. You want to take someone like me for granted, fine. It's been nice, girly."

He turned on his heel, sticking his nose in the air. Then, as soon as his arrogance took the wheel, it crashed and burned. The sound of the hysterical sobbing that ripped through my chest hit his ears, and he stopped dead in his tracks. It was even worse than when I had nightmares. He turned slowly, raising a brow.

"Hey... kid...?" He was lighter on his foot as he approached me slowly. "Hey, come on, ugh... everyone has their tantrums... okay, look, I forgive you."

As he talked, I began to gasp for air, having difficulty breathing from crying so hard. Turbo's eyes widened a bit, never seeing me fall apart this badly before.

"Hey, come on, I..." Turbo sighed.

Finally, I managed to squeeze in a few words between the sobbing. "My parents... they... they're... ashamed of... m-me..."

Turbo expression was full of shock. Ashamed? Sure she was a bit out there, and a bit lonely, but she had her own house, a job, and was a pretty kind person; Turbo had to admit that. He had no idea how to help, or what to do. He slowly removed his helmet, placing it aside.

"I'm sorry." To my shock, he sat beside me, gently patting my back.

"They just... they are never happy with anything I do." I sighed.

After a well needed nap, I felt Turbo shaking me a bit. "Hey. I'm hungry for some of that Mac 'n' Cheese."

I groaned a bit as I sat up, feeling much calmer now. "We just had some two days ago... but, I suppose it won't hurt."

* * *

In the gaming world, Liam, a homeless racer from Road Blasters, sighed as he sipped from a root beer at Tappers. He suddenly felt someone gently nudge his shoulder, and he saw two figures in the shadow beckoning him to come. He looked around, setting down his drink and warily followed the two shady characters. When he was in an isolated area, he gasped when he saw two pairs of glowing eyes.

"No... you... you died!"

"Shush!" The first whispered loudly. "No one knows we are alive."

"Yeah, so keep it down."

"Listen, Liam. We know that Turbo is alive. And where he is."

"... that's impossible." Liam breathed. "He got offed in Sugar Rush. Everyone knows that."

The twins shook their head. "When Turbo went into the mountain..."

* * *

_"Gooo intooo the liiiIIIIAAAAAHHH!" Turbo felt pain he had never experienced before, and his vision failed him. When he awoke, he was very unstable, dragging himself out of the mountain. It was night, and everyone was asleep. He dared not make too much noise as he crawled to the code room inside the castle, somehow making it past the guards. Ruling as King for so long, he knew the fame inside and out. Once he reached his destination, he struggled to reach the control pad, his heavily corrupted code making it painful for him to stretch, let alone stand. Once inside, he slowly floated through the infinite files, finding his own corrupted one. He inhaled sharply, and got to work._

* * *

"... he eventually recreated himself, as he was before taking over Sugar Rush. He then removed his code from the game entirely. He stayed in seclusion, and created a device that could eject his code into the player's plane. That is where he is."

"Now, Liam... we need you to help us bring him down."

Liam nodded, his expression serious. "What do I have to do?"

One of the twins smiled, taking out a photograph and handing it to him. "The girl is helping Turbo. Housing and caring for him. It will be easier to break him if we get to her."

"Turbo was always envious and self-entitled. If the attention is taken off of him, he will either have to cope with his bruised ego, or risk pushing her away with his actions."

"We watched Turbo in secret for many months when he created his device. We created one that you can change your appearance. Also, our device can take more than one individual back and forth between the player's plane and the game world."

"We have all been waiting years to take our revenge upon Turbo. It's only right that you also get your share, Liam."

Liam sat in deep thought for a few moments, before looking up at the twins, extending his hand to shake theirs. "It's a deal."

* * *

As we ate Mac 'n' Cheese, I giggled as Turbo was humming some Christmas songs. Who knew that the holiday spirit could even influence someone as sadistic as Turbo?

"What...?" He responded to my giggling. "I have to admit, it's pretty catchy."

"I'm surprised you haven't grown tired of all the holiday cheer."

"Well, kiddo, after spending years upon years dealing with a group of preteen girls, you learn to tolerate some things..."

I nodded. "I suppose. So... did you like-"

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who the heck could that be...?" Turbo mumbled.

"I'll get it." I got up, answering the door. "Hi... can I help you...?"

There was a guy standing there, a bit taller than I was. He had brown hair pulled back into a short, but neat, ponytail. He had hazel colored eyes, and a few freckles dotted his cheekbones.

"Hey... are you... Kara...?"

I blinked. "Yes... but who are you...?"

The young man cleared his throat. "It's been a long time, a really long time, but years ago, I lived in your neighborhood. I used to hang out and play video games with you. I understand if this is a bit weird, we were in like, first grade or something. But I'm living in the area now so I wanted to try to come find you."

My eyes widened. "... Chris...?"

His smile grew. "Yeah, yeah it's me!"

My face lit up as I threw my arms around him in a tight hug. Turbo watched from inside, his eyebrows furrowing. He recognized the boy from my things.

"Please, come in!" I ushered him inside, talking a mile a minute. When he caught sight of Turbo however, he looked at him oddly for a moment.

"Hey... uh... Kara? What..." Chris pointed at something in the other room.

I looked behind me, seeing Turbo. I smiled. "It's a long story."

"Huh. And here I thought I was the ultimate game cheat master. What cheat did you punch in for that?"

"I didn't." I shrugged, smiling as I prepared some hot chocolate. "So, what have you been doing with yourself?"

"Well, I was pretty rotten for a while... then I got on the right track. Got my G.E.D, got my associate's degree in engineering, and I'm working at a place nearby. I may go back to school in a few years, but I had to get away from my family. The money I make isn't a lot but it's enough to pay rent."

I chuckled. "I'm glad to hear it. I graduated high school with honors, graduated from Stony Brook U's business program, and now I'm a supervisor at the bank uptown."

Chris smirked. "You were always pretty cute, but smart, too? I like it."

Something about my blushing made Turbo roll his eyes, grumbling as he sipped his hot chocolate. He was highly displeased.

"So... Chris..." Turbo started. "Interesting that you were Kara's best friend... where've ya been for all this time...?"

I shot a look at Turbo, seeing the flicker of malicious intent in his eyes.

"Well, we're so old that they hadn't invented cell phones yet." He chuckled. "So when I moved, I couldn't ask for her number or anything."

I returned my attention to Chris. "So... anything else going on? Did you have a lot of friends in the city?"

"Nah... I left it all behind. Starting a new slate. I was thinking of moving out of state, but I thought it would be cool to see if you were still around. I thought about you a lot..." He had a hint of a blush in his cheeks.

"I thought about you a lot too." I breathed.

We talked for a bit more, and we lost track of time.

"I hope we see each other again soon. We should catch up."

"Yeah, we have a lot of years to make up." Chris smiled. "See you around."

When he left, I walked back in the room to see Turbo looking up at me, not happy in the slightest.

"Turbo, seriously. What is your problem? Do you have any idea-"

"Don't you think it's weird that Romeo there just comes out of nowhere?! And hey, I've been ready to take a ride and see some Christmas lights for an hour now, but I'll just wait in line until someone's available!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Well excuse me mister, but you came out of the blue when we met, as I recall. And you don't own me, I can talk to and have fun with whoever I want. You forget that he was the one that got me to go to that arcade as a kid and play your game."

Turbo opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I had made a very valid point, he thought. He bit his lip to try to think of a snappy comeback, but eventually sighed in defeat. Man, he was losing his touch, he thought to himself.

"Fine. But I still don't like this. There's something... weird about it." He said.

I sighed, turning to grab my purse so we could go drive around the neighborhood to look at people's Christmas lights. Then, it hit me. My eyes widened a bit, turning back to him.

"Wait just a minute!" I said loudly.

Turbo was taken aback. "What'd I do?!"

I put a hand on my hip, smirking as I chuckled. "... you're jealous of Chris."

Turbo was flabbergasted. "I- wha- th- that's preposterous! What in the heck do I have to be jealous about, I am ten times more awesome than mister smooth operator!" Turbo's cheeks involuntarily turned a deep shade of red.

I pointed a finger at him. "Admit it! You love all the attention I give you, and you're afraid that Chris will get in the way of that."

"Look, kid, you've got it all wrong. I can date any girl I want, because I'm amazing! I'm a... well, former racing champion, I've got charm, and I've got a perfect ivory complexion! I'm irresistible! If I wanted you to be my girlfriend, you wouldn't stand a chance!"

My smirk grew, and I knelt down in front of him. "That's wonderful, but there's one problem with your argument."

"What's that?"

"I never mentioned a word about girlfriends and dating. I was only talking about you having to share my attention with someone else. You brought dating up entirely on your own."

Turbo's face was drained of all color, not that he had much to begin with, and his eyes were the widest I had ever seen them.

"... I... I... I didn't-"

"I'll put my stuff in the car." I chuckled, patting his shoulder as I walked past him. He was absolutely dumbfounded.

It took several minutes for him to remember how to move his legs.

* * *

In the car, as much as he was entranced by the lights on people's homes, so many thoughts were racing- no pun intended -through his head.

"So... um... I was... wondering. I mean if you don't want to talk about it, I understand." He sighed. "Why do your folks hate you?"

I sighed sadly. "They don't... hate me. They just... we don't understand each other. It's complicated."

Turbo decided not to inquire any further on the subject.

"About before..." Turbo cleared his throat. "Let's get something straight here. I have no romantic feelings for you, girly. As hard as it is to break it to you, it's best if I put your silly fantasies to a stop. Whatever impression you got from earlier, was all an illusion."

I smirked a bit. "Whatever you say, Turbo."

"And another thing... I better have some awesome gifts under the tree tomorrow. I didn't entertain this whole 'Christmas' thing for nothing."

I smiled softly to myself. "Trust me, Turbo. I think you will be very pleased tomorrow morning."

* * *

I was awoken by the feeling of being shaken. Turbo was the source of the shaking, a huge grin on his face and his eyes were aglow with excitement.

"Come on kid, wake up! There's a buttload of presents with my name on them!"

"Ugh... okay, okay!" I chuckled as I stretched my arms. "Just give me a second..." I got out of bed, following the racer into the living room. I was stopped by what I saw on the counter.

"Turbo... is this... ice cream cake...?"

He smirked. "Being ruler of a kingdom of candy for so many years, I learned a few tricks. Whipped this baby up last night." He pat my back. "Happy Birthday, kiddo."

I was astonished. I pulled him into a warm hug, and though Turbo was taken aback at first, he pat my back gently in response.

"Yeah, yeah, my presents better be awesome." He said as he headed for the tree. One by one, he opened each present, grinning more and more. He was actually pretty satisfied with what I got him; from race car pajamas to yes, his very own teddy bear to snuggle.

"So, enjoy your gifts?"

"I have to say, kid, you did pretty good."

My smile softened then. "Well, you're not quite finished yet."

Turbo tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

I stood up, helping him to his feet. "Close your eyes." I ushered him into the office, stopping him at the desk. I took out my laptop, turning it so he can see it.

"Can I open my eyes now? I'm not very patient."

"Yes. Now you can."

When he opened his eyes, what he saw made time seem to stop. He forgot how to breathe as his mind struggled to register what he was seeing. He slowly turned to me, speechless.

"I had someone come over who was a wiz at old arcade games. They recreated the whole thing, down to the T." I giggled at the pun. "There's only one thing missing."

Turbo looked from me to the screen a few times, and then did something I never expected the proud racer to do in a million years.

He broke down in tears.

My eyes widened, kneeling down beside him. "I... Turbo, I didn't mean... I just-"

I gasped when he threw his arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder. "Thank you... thank you... thank..." He whispered as I hugged him back.

"Shh..." I comforted him. "It's okay, Turbo. Calm down."

He eventually settled down, wiping his eyes as he sniffled. I handed him a tissue and he blew his nose.

"If you tell a soul about me crying... I'll run over your tongue." He said.

I giggled a bit. "I won't tell anyone." As I was about to get up, I noticed something as I looked just over Turbo's head.

I had hung a mistletoe in my home office.

I quickly darted my gaze back down to Turbo, smiling nervously. He noticed my sudden movement, looking up at my blossom colored cheeks.

"Problem?"

"Nope!" I squeaked out.

Turbo raised a brow, looking around him, and then he looked up.

His expression matched mine.

"Oooh no! I see what you did there, blondie! I told you that I don't have any romantic feelings whatsoever. None. Forget it."

I shrugged. "Okay then. I should make us some breakfast. I'm hungry." I said as I started to get up.

"Wait!" Turbo said as he held onto my arm.

_'What are you doing, you idiot?!' _Turbo mentally screamed at himself._ 'There is NO way you are doing this. You are NOT a sap!'_

"What is it, Turbo?"

"I..."

_'Tell her to never mind. Tell her NOW.'_

"Well... does anything bad happen if someone breaks the mistletoe tradition?"

"Uh... not that I know of... why?"

_'Don't you dare do it. Don't even THINK about it, buster.'_

"Well... maybe we shouldn't risk it."

_'You IDIOT! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! ARE YOU CRAZY?!'_

I kneeled back down, looking at him oddly. "Turbo, what-"

My eyes widened as Turbo hushed me with a finger on my lips.

"I don't know what you're doing to me, kid. But..." He said as he inched closer. "I'm having trouble fighting it."

"Are you... okay?" My heart was pounding as his face was inches from mine.

"I'm... Turbo tastic." He smirked. He was so close now that I had to look at him cross eyed. It began to hurt, so they soon fluttered shut. Turbo was so close...

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Turbo was frozen as I cleared my throat, getting up to answer it. Shock turned to disappointment as he finally willed himself to move, shuffling his feet.

_'What is going on with me...? Why am I acting... feeling... like this...? Well, she did manage to recreate my game. I just... I need to get out of here before I invest any more energy into this kid. This has to stop now.'_

He took out his device, walking up to the laptop. He took in a breath, exhaling sharply as he was about to transport himself into the game, to reap the rewards of everything he worked for. His finger hovered over the button, about to press it...

"Chris!" I exclaimed from the other room.

Turbo's movements stopped. His breathing quickened as his heart skipped a beat. His face twisted into a grimace, and suddenly, the moment of truth was gone. He stormed out of the office faster than one could blink.

* * *

**Oh my, we've got some romantic tension going on here! Please stay tuned for chapter six, and thank you again to those who are reading and reviewing. It is much appreciated! :D**


	6. A State of Confusion

**Surprise! Chapter six has come today as well! Please enjoy the twists and turns of this complicated race track as the adventure continues! :D**

* * *

When I opened the door, I saw Chris there, smiling a bit sweetly.

"Merry Christmas." He said casually.

I smiled brightly, hugging him. "Chris!" I exclaimed. "Merry Christmas! Please, come in!"

He walked in, his hands behind his back as he closed the door with his foot. "Hey, uh... I have a little something for you."

I turned. "Hm?"

He took his hands from behind his back, handing me a card. "It isn't much... but I wanted to get you something."

I took the envelope, blushing a bit. "Chris... you didn't have to do this..."

"Well, you sent me a card, so I figured it would be only right to get you one."

As I opened it, Turbo watched from the hallway, gritting his teeth and fuming.

I took out the card and opened it, my eyebrows raising. "A gift card to Friendly's? Chris... you really didn't have to do this..."

"Well, you said you like going there, so this week before New Year's I want to treat you. I really want to catch up and get close to you again." He smiled, a light blush hinting his cheeks. "... if you want to, that is."

I beamed, placing the card aside and hugging him. "I'd like that very much."

Turbo continued to steam up in the hallway, his hands shaking as they gripped the wall. Chris finally noticed the white helmet poking from behind the wall, moving to see him better.

"Ah, little man." He smiled. "Merry Christmas! Didn't see you there!"

Turbo cringed at first upon being spotted, but grumbled as he stomped into the room.

"Yeah, yeah, Merry Christmas to all and to all good bye now." He said with a scowl.

I shot Turbo a look, before turning to Chris and chuckling nervously. "He got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, don't mind him."

Turbo grew angrier at this. "Don't mind me?! What am I, some spoiled kid?!"

"Well you're acting like one, so just sit down and stop being rude."

Turbo bit his tongue to prevent any further outbursts, glaring up at the young man. He heard me quietly mutter an apology, my back turned to Chris. Turbo sat in the kitchen as he watched me being gently pulled into another hug... but what he saw next made his face drop.

Chris smirked darkly right at Turbo, his head resting on my shoulder.

If Turbo hadn't been so shocked, he would have lost it, right then and there. As soon as the expression came, it was gone, and Chris returned to his sweet demeanor from earlier.

"Listen, I gotta run. But text me when you want to hang out... you've got my number, right?"

"Yes, I wrote it down earlier. Thanks again, Chris, this was really sweet."

"No problem." He smiled before turbing to Turbo and giving a friendly wave. "You behave for her now, little man."

Turbo spoke through clenched teeth. "I have a name, you know. It's TURBO. And I'm. NOT. LITTLE."

I rolled my eyes at Turbo as Chris chuckled. "Okay then, Turbo. Sorry for the mistake. See you around!" He headed out the door. As soon as it closed, I stomped over to Turbo.

"Don't you EVER embarrass me like that again!"

Turbo didn't look at me. "I don't like that guy."

"I don't care if you like him or not! This is my house and I decide who can come and who can't! You better fix the attitude problem or you're gonna be in serious trouble!"

Turbo's anger wavered a bit, and he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I don't want to humiliate you or anything, it's just... there's something not right about him, Kara. I can feel it."

I blinked. Calling me by my actual name, I didn't expect him to be this serious. "Okay. I'll humor you. What is the problem with him?"

"I don't know... yet. But I don't trust him. It's like he's hiding something."

I sighed, going over to sit next to the now somber racer. "Turbo... I always try to believe there is a reason for everything. I may not understand it, but... this is no coincidence that Chris has come into my life. There is no coincidence that you came into my life either. But you have to let me figure things out. I have enough regrets, Turbo. I don't want any more."

Turbo looked up at me sadly as I walked out of the room, looking down at his feet.

"... neither do I." He whispered.

* * *

The twins smirked from outside my house, watching the scene before them as Chris left.

"He's getting antsy. He won't keep this up for much longer."

"I still can't believe that girl almost kissed him. He's a disgusting piece of garbage."

"Don't worry. That's all he'll be when we're through with him. If he thinks he will become the star again when he gets back in our game, he's got another thing coming. We'll let him think he's got it all, then beat him at his own game."

"Could you imagine, always losing in your own game? Players would laugh at him."

"Maybe the little twerp would do himself in. Now, we have some work to do. Let's just see how this all unravels."

* * *

Turbo was pretty quiet for the next couple of days, and I was actually starting to worry about him. But when I told him that I was planning on going out with Chris that day, his expression was more upset then I had ever seen him.

"Turbo... it's like you think I'm trying to hurt you or something." I sighed. "Look. No one will ever replace you, Turbo." I felt like I was a single mother telling her child she just picked up a new lover. "Can you just... try to be happy for me...? Why not test drive Turbo Time?" I smiled.

Turbo Time. The thought that his game was sitting right in the office on my laptop, waiting for him to complete his original mission, had not even crossed his mind the last few days. Had he really become this derailed from his task?

"Sure. Okay." He nodded, looking up at me.

I smiled, hearing Chris pull up outside. "See you later, Turbo." His eyes widened when I kissed his forehead, and when I closed the door behind me, he raced to the window, his eyebrows furrowed deeply as he watched me walk up to Chris's car, and he opened the front passenger door for me. He looked up at the window then, seeing Turbo there. Turbo inhaled sharply, shocked by how he just seemed to spot him, clear as day. Again, while I was distracted, he flashed a very subtle smirk as I was sitting down, kissing my hand to rub it in further. Turbo's fists and teeth clenched as Chris closed my door, walking over to seat himself in the driver's seat. He sped off, and Turbo hopped off the couch, growling as he threw his helmet across the room in a blind rage. He fell to his knees, running his hands through his hair.

"That's it." He said to himself aloud. "I'm going to my game. And I'm not coming back." He stormed to my laptop, taking out his device, biting his lip as he closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. He took in a deep breath, and pushed the button.

He had no idea what he would soon be up against.

* * *

The twins looked at each other.

"He did it. Let's go."

They raced around my house, bursting in through the front door. They ran into my office, standing before the laptop. Nodding to each other, they pressed the button on their own device.

* * *

Turbo looked around as he got to his feet. He took in a deep breath, his eyes registering the familiar landscape. He slowly willed himself to walk, moving towards the race track, and he saw it.

His race car. It was in mint condition, as if it had never been touched. He held out a shaking hand to touch it, as if it were just an illusion playing a cruel trick on him. He looked all around him, not a hair out if place. The only part that was missing were his brothers... but this is not what concerned him.

He had gotten what he came to the player's plane for... why was he not happy?

Turbo hung his head, shaking it. He hated that he allowed himself to become so emotionally vulnerable, messing up his mind like this. Suddenly, his thoughts were broken when he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching and a familiar voice.

"So... the racing champion has returned, at last."

Turbo whirled around, nearly losing his balance. His breathing quickened as he was overwhelmed with emotion. "Y- You... she recreated you..."

The twins looked at each other, before shaking their heads at Turbo. "Not quite." They grinned darkly, slowly approaching Turbo.

* * *

I laughed as I munched on a mozzarella stick. "Are you gonna have ice cream?"

"Yeah, duh." Chris chuckled as he took a bite of his burger. "So, uh..." He cleared his throat. "It's nice... to be hanging out with you. I never thought I'd see you again after I moved."

"Same here." I smiled. "Fate has a weird way of doing things, doesn't it?"

"Yeah..." Chris thought for a moment. "Speaking of which... your uh... little friend there seems kind of feisty. I mean... remember when we played his game at the arcade in the restaurant?"

"Yeah... who knew that Disney would make a movie based on those arcade games? We had all the same ones."

"I remember when Road Blasters and Turbo Time got recalled."

I frowned a bit then. "Between that and you moving..." I sighed.

I felt Chris reach a hand over, gently lifting up my chin. "You have us back now. No need to be sad."

The corner of my lips poked into a smile. After our meal, we ordered ice cream. We then paid the waitress before leaving the restaurant. I sighed contently.

"Oi, I think I need to be rolled to my car." I chuckled.

"Hey, want to do something else? I mean... if you want to."

"What did you have in mind?"

"We could drive to the Bluff... it may be winter, but a nice stroll on the boardwalk would be nice."

I smiled. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

Turbo's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Wait... when... when our game got unplugged... you... made it out...? Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you let me know you were okay? I was devastated! I thought you had died!"

"Come to you?! You put us in that position in the first place because of your greed! You never thought for one second about anyone but yourself! And while you played house in Sugar Rush, we were scrounging up whatever we could to stay alive because we're homeless!"

Turbo held up his hands. "I swear to you... if I had... ANY idea that you were alive..." He inhaled sharply. "I would have taken you both in. I would have found a place for you both."

One of the twins shook his head. "It's too late to be sentimental with us, Turbo. When you made your device over the course of all those months, we spied on you... and made some of our own, only better."

"We're going to take this game over, Turbo. We're going to beat you at your own game, literally. You are going to pay for what you did to us. You will have to live every day, as a laughing stock. You will never hold another trophy again. You will be nothing more than a shadow of your former success. A loser."

Turbo stared at them in horror. "No... guys, I never... I never meant to have our game unplugged! I was trying to save us!"

"No, Turbo. You were trying to save YOU."

As the twins moved closer, Turbo scrambled backwards into his car, his fingers digging into his jumpsuit for his device. He quickly grabbed hold of it and clicked it, just before the twins could grab him.

"No! We have to go after him! He has the game cheat!"

"Let him go." The other twin responded, narrowing his eyes. "We're pushing him into a corner. He'll give us what we want, in time. We have to wait for the right moment."

* * *

Turbo landed on his face, gasping for air as he curled into a ball. He hugged his knees to his chest, looking all around him. He was back in my office, and all was just as he left it. He slowly got to his feet, wandering towards the window. He sighed, seeing that I was still not home.

* * *

Chris and I laughed hysterically, reminiscing over the old days.

"You really got stung? On the BOTTOM of your foot?!" He exclaimed.

"I-..." Another fit of giggles. "It was so scary. I will never take my shoes off outside again. The thing was sticking out of the bottom of my foot, and I started screaming on the top of my lungs!"

"Jeez..." Chris shook his head. "That's nuts. So were you really upset when you couldn't answer the door?"

"Yeah, I was." We both stayed silent for a few moments, before pulling up to my house.

* * *

Turbo heard a car pull up, hurrying to the window where he plastered himself against it. He watched our every move as Chris got out, opening my car door for me.

"I had a great time." I smiled. "We should do this again."

"Definitely." Chris smiled.

Turbo exhaled sharply. "I have to tell her what happened." He said to himself. "Maybe she can help me." He shook his head. "What is going on...? There's so many things happening at once... the twins... they just... and Kara..." He sighed with frustration. "Get it together, Turbo! You managed to reprogram a world of cavities before, you can figure this out."

I tilted my head a bit at Chris, emitting a soft giggle. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I blinked when he took my hands in his. "You look really pretty right now."

"How could they possibly think that I did all of that without thinking of... wait... what's going on out there...?" Turbo rubbed the fog off the window, peering closer.

"Chris..." I breathed. "I... thank you..." My cheeks turned a dark shade of red.

"Do you think I could..." Chris started, but shook his head.

"What? What is it?"

"Well... I could ask, and get an answer I don't want... or just do what I wanted to do and get slapped."

I looked at him warily. "Do... what?"

"This."

He closed the space between us, and the next thing I knew I felt like I was floating.

Turbo watched the scene before him, and he experienced something he never felt before. Everything flew by in his mind at once... being a champion, taking over Sugar Rush and being defeated, everything that people had told him, and what the twins had said to him earlier... all of these experiences exploded inside of him the moment Chris's lips touched mine, and as he gripped his chest, Turbo fell to his knees on the floor, gasping for air.

"They're right..." He choked. "I never felt anything... never any remorse... or compassion... or mercy..." He curled up into a fetal position as a sudden rush crashed through him, coming out in waves of sobs. "What is happening... to me...?" He cried, covering his face. He suddenly felt a hand on him, and whipped his head around, gasping. The twins were there, standing over him. As they began to speak to him, they walked around him in a circle, taunting him.

"This is what it feels like to have your heart broken." One of the twins said.

"Who knew you had a heart to begin with, Turbo? I always thought there was just a black void there." Said the second.

"Look, Turbo... she doesn't care about you. You thought you could have her wrapped around your finger... you've failed."

"S- Stop it..." Turbo sniffled.

"Why do you care, Turbo? We're the ones you should be fighting, we're going to take away what you really want!"

"No! She does love me! And I don't WANT to fight you!"

"Ohh! So now Turbo thinks he's in love! That he cares about someone other than himself! What a twerp!"

"You were better off being heartless, Turbo, now you are a little weakling that can't even find his own place. You had no chance the second we sent the girl's new love interest here."

Turbo froze. "What...?" His spine stiffened, his voice becoming frighteningly low. "What in the heck did you do...?"

"You can't win this time, Turbo... you've already lost the girl, and now you will lose your game!"

Turbo tried to stop them as they teleported back into the game world, but he wasn't quick enough. He fell forward, gasping for air. He looked up, anger suddenly washing away his sorrow. He slammed his fist into the floor, jumping to his feet.

"I didn't come this far to lose everything. I will NOT..."

The door opened suddenly, and turbo turned as Chris and I walked in. The moment his gaze met Chris's, Turbo snapped. He hopped on the couch, grabbing Chris's pony tail before hopping back down, yanking him down so he was at his level.

"Turbo!" I screamed, falling to my knees. "What are you DOING?!"

Turbo ignored me at first, yanking on Chris's pony tail harder. His eyes were ablaze, his expression crazed. "Why in the HECK did the twins send you here?! What are you planning on doing with her?!"

I began to cry as Chris struggled. "Turbo please, stop! Please let go of him!"

The racer shot me a look. "You want to know what happened while you were out with mister personality here?! I went inside my game, kid! And you know who I saw?! The twins! You didn't have them programmed in there, did you?! Want to know how I know? Because all these years I thought they were dead, they've been conspiring a revenge plan against ME!"

"What are you talking about?! Chris has nothing to do with this!"

"He has EVERYTHING to do with it! They sent him here! I told you there was something weird about this guy!"

"Turbo, I said let him go!"

"Why won't you believe me?!" Turbo said, his anger turning to anguish. "I know I've lied and cheated in the past to get what I want, but I'm not lying now!"

"How do I know that?!"

"Because I love you!"

Chris and I both widened our eyes as all fell silent.

"What...?"

"That's right, kid. I said it. It's true. I'm not going to let you get hurt in a grudge made against me."

Before I could respond, Chris suddenly growled, grabbing Turbo and throwing him off of his hair. Turbo ran towards me, throwing his arms out to the sides.

"Stay the heck away from her!" Turbo shouted.

Chris grabbed Turbo by his shirt collar, pinning him to the wall. "I've been waiting a long time for this, pipsqueak." He said lowly. He tightened his grip, smirking as he choked Turbo.

"W- Wait Chris, just- Chris! Don't choke him!" I shouted, tugging on his arm. Chris shoved me aside, causing me to stumble and land on my behind. I gasped when I didn't even see a hint of remorse. He looked at me, not the same guy I had kissed just minutes earlier. He smirked darkly.

"Sorry, dear... but our date will have to end a bit early."

Just then, I whirled around as I heard a sound, and two pairs of hands grabbed me as I was on the ground.

"No! Let go of her, dangit!" Turbo shouted.

"Liam, hold onto the girl." One of the twins said.

I gasped as suddenly, Chris flickered as his code changed, revealing his true identity. I shook my head in disbelief.

"You know, Turbo... it's really a shame you didn't finish your little 'mistletoe' moment... I kissed her for a pretty long time out there... her lips were sweeter than I imagined. Sweet, with a hint of spice."

Turbo growled viciously at the statement, kicking his legs more before he was dropped to the ground, handed over to the twins. He looked up at me, being restrained by Liam. No matter what either of us did, we were stuck in this situation.

"What do you want with her?!" Turbo shouted.

"It's quite simple." One of the twins smirked. "You controlled Sugar Rush using the universal cheat code. Give us the code, and we let the girl live. But by us taking over the game... let's just say, you'll be pretty messed up."

"NO!" I screamed, struggling harder. "No, don't you hurt hi-" My screaming was cut off when Liam growled, grabbing me by my hair and slamming my head into my glass coffee table.

Turbo's breath was sucked out of him when the sound of the glass shattering pierced his eardrums, gasping audibly as I fell limply to the floor. His eyes widened, tears brimming in them.

_"Humans have only one life..."_

Turbo stopped struggling as he saw blood begin to drip down my face from my head, and the sound that came out of his mouth shocked even the twins and Liam. it was something between a wail and an inhuman shriek.

He had done this. He had let this happen.

* * *

**Oh no! Is Kara... *gulp* dead?! You'll have to wait and find out! I hope you all enjoyed and thanks again for your continued support!**


	7. A Turn For the Worse

**Here we are, the exciting conclusion of Turbo and Kara's grand adventure! What will Turbo do to save her and get himself out of the mess he's in?! The answers all await here! Please enjoy! :D**

* * *

Turbo was close to hyperventilating as a new wave of adrenaline surged through him, and he started thrashing so wildly that he broke free of his brothers, scrambling towards where I lay. He gasped for air as sobs ripped through his chest, gently cradling my head.

"No... no no no, kid, look at me, open your eyes... please..." Turbo whispered, cradling my head.

"Turbo... this didn't have to happen. But your greed is what caused all this, in the end." One of the twins said.

Before he could respond, Turbo felt a cold grip on his wrist. The twins and Liam gasped when Turbo suddenly became so transparent that he was almost invisible.

"What just happened to him?! Grab him!" One twin shouted to the other. When one ran to grab him, his hand went right through. The twins began to bicker.

"He... he's like a ghost! I've never seen this sort of thing!"

"Is he using a code?"

"I have no idea!"

"Well, find out!"

Turbo looked all around him, his surroundings suddenly blurry and windy, just as it had been back at the psych center when he first experienced this. He looked down, and his eyes narrowed when he was met with Rayne's fiery gaze as she sat up. She smirked, keeping a tight hold on Turbo's wrist.

"So, we meet again, Turbo." Rayne started.

"What do you have to tell me?" Turbo asked, wary of girl opposite him. "And no tricks."

"I save your life and you still don't trust me. Pity." Rayne said. "Kara is still alive... or else I wouldn't be here. But her life is fading quickly."

Turbo's eyes widened then. "How can I save her?! Tell me!"

Rayne eyed Turbo's chest, where his device was safely tucked into his jumpsuit. "Well... you have two choices, Turbo. You can either use the device to send her back... leaving you in the real world. Or... you can go back yourself, stop your brothers, destroy Liam, and regain your former glory; at the expense of her life, of course. Which will you choose?"

"I think you already know the answer to that." Turbo replied. "Can you promise that she will live if she is sent to the game world?"

Rayne raised a brow. "You would give up everything you came here for, your game, for her?"

"Answer my question!" Turbo snapped.

She narrowed her eyes as she smirked. "I guarantee it." She replied.

Turbo nodded firmly. "Tell me, Rayne... are you doing this to save her... or to save you...?"

Rayne chuckled lowly. "I think you already know the answer to that."

Turbo glanced at her, a smirk forming in his own expression. He planned out what he would do, hoping he could time everything just right. This was his one and only chance to make up for all that he allowed to happen, so messing up now was not an option. "I'll do even better than what you proposed. Just wait." He took Rayne's hand off of him, slowly returning to the real world. The twins gasped as he became material again. Turbo stood slowly, turning to face his brothers.

"What in the heck did you do there just now-"

"It's yours." Turbo interrupted.

"Wait... what?" One of the twins tilted their head in confusion.

Turbo took out of his jumpsuit the written cheat, throwing it at them. "Go ahead. Take it. I don't care about it anymore."

Liam laughed. "You're telling me that you're now giving up, quite possibly, an entire empire in the game world, just for a girl? Boy, you're a lot weaker than I thought you were, Turbo."

The twins took the code, their expressions less angered, but serious nonetheless. "What's this all about, Turbo...? What's your real plan behind this?"

"All I care about is her safety now. So if giving you the cheat will protect her..."

He took out his device, and before he could be stopped, he activated it, placing it into my open hand. He watched anxiously as I slowly faded away like dust, transported to the game world.

"Get back!" One twin shouted to the other. "Go now, he has no device now, so he'll be stuck here!"

The twins disappeared, but Turbo wasn't focusing on them. He watched Liam intently, scrambling over to him as he timed the moment just right. He had a device like the twins, which could teleport more than one person at the same time. Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline pumped through his veins to get to Liam before he could transport out first. Turbo dove fast, clinging to Liam's leg just as he pressed the button, and soon the two of them were wrestling in hyper speed for the device. The two racers twisted, turned and warped as they wrestled each other, both knowing that one of them would not make it to their final destination. Liam, being the larger of the two, tugged ferociously as he punched and kicked Turbo, but this only fueled Turbo's rage. He tugged on Liam's hair, twisting and yanking it so hard that he threatened to break his neck. Turbo got a firm hold of the device with one hand, and screamed on the top of his lungs, despite his voice being distorted from being in hyper space.

"You will never harm her again, jerkface!"

He then kicked Liam in the jaw as hard as he could, causing him to let go of the device. Liam's scream echoed as he fell away, becoming lost in hyper space, gone forever.

In Game Central Station, everyone was celebrating New Year's eve, having the day off due to the arcade being closed. Many started to head back to their own games to call it a day, but a few still lingered. It was when suddenly, a flash of light appeared. Anyone who was in the immediate area gasped as I suddenly appeared, hovering in midair for a few moments before gracefully floating down. However, at the same time, a dark form, swirling with new code, emitted an evil laughter that echoed all through the station as the form darted about momentarily, before disappearing into one of the walls. Soon after I appeared, another small flash of light appeared as Turbo tumbled in just a few feet from me. Game characters gasped, screamed, some even hid or ran. The twins were no where to be found.

Turbo could care less about all the commotion. He scrambled over to me, shaking me.

"Kara, Kara!" He cried. "Come on kid, wake up!" When I didn't respond, Turbo clenched his teeth, his eyes squeezing shut as he pounded his fists on the ground. "You wake up right now! Don't you dare give up!" He began to slap my face, drawing more attention to himself. "Wake up! WAKE UP!"

* * *

Felix met his wife outside of her game, joining Ralph and Vanellope as they all headed to the sitting area of Game Central station. When they heard other characters panicking however, Calhoun walked a bit faster ahead of them.

"What is going on here?" She asked one of her soldiers.

"M'am, it's... it's Turbo! He came out of nowhere! He came with someone I don't recognize!"

As Calhoun heard this, the others caught up.

"Oh my land! Did you say TURBO?! How is this possible-"

Felix's sentence was suddenly cut off by Turbo screaming in anguish. "WAKE UP!"

Everyone stared wide eyed at the scene before them. Never in all their life did they think they would see the sadistic fellow before them again, let alone in this condition. This was not the proud, vain racer they were accustomed to. Nonetheless, Calhoun scowled, aiming her gun at him.

"Alright, maggot! On your feet with your hands up!" She shouted.

Turbo looked up at her slowly, shaking as he glanced at all the familiar faces around him. No would expect the following words to come from his mouth.

"I know what I am. And I know what I've done. And I especially know I can't take it back. So I'm not going to try."

"I said on your feet!" Calhoun shouted.

"What in the heck are you doing here, Turbo! How did you come back?!" Ralph shouted.

"It's a long story. Look... do whatever you want to me. I don't care anymore. But please... I ask only one thing. Protect her." He looked down at me. "Do whatever you can to keep her alive, and happy. This... is all happening because of me."

Ralph growled. "What game are you playing, Turbo? You fooled us once, we're not buying your sob story!"

Vanellope glared darkly at Turbo. The typically bright-eyed child never looked so angry in her life. This was the racer who destroyed her life for years... he had some nerve showing his face here.

Felix however, as much as he too resented Turbo and felt he needed to be punished, could not help but feel sympathy. He took a step forward so he was standing next to Calhoun.

"Turbo... who is that...?" He motioned to me.

Calhoun hissed at Felix. "Don't engage him, Felix. This is a trick."

Turbo sighed sadly before answering. "When I went to the player's plane to try to reprogram my game... I met her. She took me in, and helped me. No matter how rotten I was, she still cared. I didn't care about her at first, I really didn't. But the player's plane is a lot different... complicated... than I thought. She just... got under my skin. I know I've been less than decent... but the kid doesn't deserve to be hurt anymore!" He looked at Vanellope, still glaring at him. "Just like Ralph thought she shouldn't be. I understand now... why you went through so much to keep her safe."

Ralph narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "So, what if we do help her? You think you'll get out of everything you've done?"

"No. I don't care what happens to me. I just want her to live."

"How do we know that she isn't just as evil as you are, Turbo?" Calhoun asked.

"Just... spend five minutes with her. You'd find that she's... she's a good person."

"Bullroar. We need better than that, short stack."

Suddenly, Turbo froze when he heard shifting beside him. He gasped, looking down. "Kara...?!" He fell to his knees as I began to come to. He hugged me close, sighing with relief. "Thank codes you're okay..."

When he broke the hug, I looked at Turbo, a hint of confusion in my eyes. "Did... did you save me from something...?"

Turbo chuckled, wiping his eyes. "Yes... yes, I did."

I looked around me. "Where am I...?"

"In Game Central Station! Don't you remember from the movie?"

I looked back at Turbo, oddly. "I don't understand."

Turbo's eyebrows furrowed. "Kara, what's the matter...?"

I took a moment to answer. "I'm sorry... but I don't know who any of you are."

In that moment, Turbo could hear, feel, nothing. His heart shattered into a million pieces.

My memories were gone.

"No... no, you have to know who we are, who I am!"

Calhoun bared her teeth. "You two." She looked at her comrades. "Take him to the game cells."

My eyebrows furrowed. "I... I'm sorry... but I only remember falling or something and then I woke up here..."

"Kara, please, you have to remember me, I'm Turbo, your Turbo!" The two soldiers each grabbed one of Turbo's arms to drag him away. "Let go of me!" He shouted, his voice cracking. "You have to remember, you were always there for me at the arcade, you never stopped caring about me or forgot about me, you can't give up now!"

"I... I'm sorry..." I whispered softly, blinking as I watched Turbo being dragged away. My spine tingled as he screamed incoherent sentences, breaking down into choked sobs as he was taken to prison cells in the basement of Game Central Station. As his voice faded off, I looked at the ground, feeling sorry for him. Before I could do much, I felt my arms being pulled up as I was held by two more soldiers.

"Bring her into Tapper's. We have to interrogate her." Calhoun said to them as she led the way.

"Wait, Tamora! Let me come with you!"

"Felix, go back with Ralph and Vanellope."

"Tammy..." Felix said softly. "I have a strong feeling this isn't an act. Please let me come."

She sighed. "Fine."

At Tapper's, I was brought into one of the storage rooms where Calhoun sat in front of me, facing me. The other two soldiers stood on guard. Felix stood next to Calhoun.

"Why did Turbo bring you here?"

"I'm sorry... I don't remember anything. I... I fell, or something, and hit my head. I then woke up here, and that's all I know."

"Bullroar." Calhoun growled.

Felix looked at me, seeing how nervous I was. He took a step forward, much to Calhoun's opposition, and gently sandwiched my hand between his.

"You sound like you've had a rough time..." Felix squinted his eyes then. "Wait a minute..." He gently brushed aside my hair, gasping. "Oh, my land!"

"What?!" Calhoun shouted.

"Look!" Calhoun got up, lifting my hair as Felix covered his mouth in shock.

There was a huge gash, no longer bleeding since I was in the game world.

"She must have suffered this from wherever she came from."

Felix took out his hammer. "Tammy... do you think if I fix the wound, that her memories may return?"

"Only one way to find out." Calhoun replied.

The handy man bit his lip as he gently tapped the hammer on my head, the gash turning into a scar.

"Anything...?" Felix asked.

I shook my head. "No. Nothing."

"Well..." Calhoun put a hand on her hip. "At least we know she was telling the truth now. Our guess as to who she is and what she has to do with Turbo, or what he's up to, is just as good as hers."

"What do we do now, Tammy?"

She thought for a moment. "I'll talk to Tapper. There's room for her to stay here and make herself useful." She turned to me. "Stay in line and follow the rules, and you'll be just fine." Calhoun said in a warning, walking out with her soldiers. Felix approached me, gently patting my back.

"She's just a bit protective." He smiled. "If you need anything, you can always come to me. I don't know who you are... but maybe we can find out together. Ralph, Vanellope and I will tell you all about our world, and help you remember everything."

Oddly, despite my current situation, I felt reassured. I smiled softly, thanking him as he left. I sat alone in the small, dim room, looking at my hands. Why couldn't I remember anything? How I got here, who these people were that I was supposed to know... and Turbo... he seemed so upset, yet from the impression everyone was giving, he wasn't very much liked at all. Would I ever get my memory back? Would I assimilate into this world in the meantime?

* * *

As the events unraveled before her, Rayne chuckled as she looked at her hands, opening and closing her fingers. "Those fools will never see me coming. If they thought what Turbo did was bad, they will never be able to stop me. I have my own body now, and I plan to use it. Kara is kind, and giving. She's weak. Only those who hunger for power, and do not regard those who are hurt or lost in the process, are able to taste the sweetness of true glory." She smirked darkly, her eyes ablaze with pure evil. "I will take over this arcade... the beginning of taking over the entire digital world begins here, and now.

* * *

**And so, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes A Chance Encounter! Fear not, for a sequel to this story will be in the works soon. Thank you to all who read and I hope you all enjoyed!**


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